Comparison of VIDAS enzyme-linked fluorescent immunoassay using Moore swab sampling and conventional culture method for Salmonella detection in bulk tank milk and in-line milk filters in California dairies

A comparison of the VIDAS Salmonella (SLM) assay using the manufacturer's recommended sampling method or a Moore swab sampling method demonstrated that the Moore swab method detected a greater number of positive samples (83.0% vs. 67.92%). When results using a conventional culture technique were compared to the VIDAS SLM assay using Moore swab sampling, there was good agreement (97.5%). When the VIDAS SLM assay was used to test in-line milk filters and compared to results from the conventional culture method, there was also good correlation between test results (95.57%). Overall, the VIDAS SLM assay using a modified sampling method compared favorably to the conventional culture method and had the advantages of taking less time to obtain a negative or presumptive positive result, being less technically complicated and requiring less screening of non-lactose fermenting colonies from negative samples.