Description

Intended Use:

 A highly selective medium for the isolation and identification of Salmonella except S. typhosa or Shigella species.

Summary and Explanation:

 Salmonellosis continues to be an important public health problem worldwide, despite efforts to control the prevalence of Salmonella in domesticated animals. Infection with non-typhi Salmonella often causes mild, self-limiting illness.

The illness results from the consumption of raw, undercooked or improperly processed foods contaminated with Salmonella. Many of these cases of Salmonella-related gastroenteritis are due to improper handling of poultry products. Various poultry products are routinely monitored for Salmonella before their distribution for human consumption, but in many instances, contaminated food samples elude detection.

BG (Brilliant Green) Sulfa Agar is a highly selective medium. Osborne and Stokes1 added 0.1% sodium sulfapyridine to Brilliant Green Agar to enhance the selective properties of this medium for Salmonella. This formula is recommended as a selective isolation medium for Salmonella following enrichment.2 It is also recommended for direct inoculation with primary specimens for Salmonella isolation. For food testing,

BG Sulfa Agar has been used for the detection of Salmonella in low and high-moisture foods.^3,4 It has also been used for detecting Salmonella in feeds and feed ingredients.⁵ This medium is recommended when testing foods for Salmonella following USDA guidelines.⁶