Abstract
The Oxoid Listeria Rapid Test was compared with a conventional culture method for detecting Listeria in food and environmental materials. According to this study, the test kit could detect twelve strains of six Listeria species. The result of the sensitivity test was a little different depending on the strain, however, if the incubation at 30° to form the flagella was done satisfactory, the sensitivity for L. monocytogenes was 105cfu/ml. The agreement between the conventional method and the test kit was very good using 39 specimens from food and wiping swabs. Four of the 39 specimens which showed positive with the conventional method were negative with the test kit, but the concentration of the bacteria in these specimens was less than 104 cfu/ml. The opposite result was not observed. L. monocytogenes was detected in 17 of the 39 specimens, and 15 specimens were positive with both methods.
Although the test kit was a little poorer than the conventional method in respect to the detection rate of L. monocytogenes, it was thought to be especially valuable as a screening test for Listeria species in food and environment materials.
