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Why It's Important To Detect Salmonella With A Lactose Broth

23 November 2018

Leonard Campbell

After having a great meal, you might wake up the next day and find that you are sick to your stomach and are suffering from diarrhea. This is usually the result of having salmonella poisoning. In addition to diarrhea, you may experience pain and cramping in your stomach. If you are a business that sells food products, you may need to use lactose broth.

How a Lactose Broth Works

Lactose broth is a pre-enrichment broth that tests food and dairy products for the presence of salmonella. Even when salmonella is found in low concentrations, it can still be detected by using a lactose broth. It favors the growth of salmonella over other species, which allows the bacteria to grow to the point where it can be detected and studied. Lactose broth can also be effective when detecting other substances, such as coliforms found in dairy products, food and water.

Sources of Contamination

Salmonella can be found in meat and water. The types of meats that most often contain salmonella are poultry, beef, veal and pork. Water can become contaminated and can lead to fruits and vegetables being contaminated by salmonella. Also, when fruits and vegetables come in contact with animal manure, they may become infected by salmonella. This often leads to salad, spinach and strawberries being contaminated with salmonella.

Health Effects of a Salmonella Infection

While this is one of the most common forms of food poisoning and most individuals recover without hospitalization, there are some who have to be hospitalized and there are some cases where salmonella food poisoning is lethal.

Children and those with weak immune systems are the most likely to become infected. A common reason why this condition can become life-threatening is that those who suffer from it can sometimes suffer from dehydration.

If someone is dehydrated, they will only pee in small amounts and will have a dry tongue and eyes. After the food poisoning, some individuals experience pain in their joints through what is called reactive arthritis. This condition can often last for several months.

Using Lactose Broth

To use the lactose broth, such as from Culture Media Concepts, dissolve all of the ingredients and dispense the medium into a test tube that contains an inverted Durham tube. Expel air bubbles through autoclaving. Inoculate the tubes and place them in a bath at 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, wait for one to two days for an air bubble to form in the Durham tube.

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