Polyvalent H Agglutination as a Rapid Means of Screening Non-lactose-Fermenting Colonies for Salmonella Organisms

Abstract

The technique involving the use of a polyvalent H Salmonella antiserum for the detection of Salmonellae is described. Non-lactose-fermenting colonies developing on differential media are subcultured in infusion broth. After 4-5 hour incubation at 37 C, the young broth cultures are used as antigens in the polyvalent H agglutination test. Only 6 of 767 Salmonella colonies have failed to react with the antiserum; no false positive reactions (agglutination with non-salmonellae) have thus far occurred. The polyvalent H agglutination test is far more specific than the common biochemical approach e.g. subculture in TSI agar to the screening of non-lactose-fermenting colonies. Further, within a period of 6-7 hour it is possible to segregate salmonellae from the variety of related organisms which produce similar colonies on differential media. The data suggest that an organism agglutinating in polyvalent H Salmonella antiserum can be classified preliminarily as a Salmonella with a reasonable degree of certainty that further tests will confirm the primary classification.