Kauffman Mueller’s Tetrathionate Broth Base

Principle And Interpretation

Salmonella species cause many types of infections, from mild self-limiting gastroenteritis to life-threatening typhoid fever (1). Salmonella present in food samples may also be injured in food-processing procedures, which include exposure to low temperatures, sub-marginal heat, drying, radiation, preservative, and sanitizers (2). This medium is hence used as a selective enrichment for the cultivation of Salmonella species that may be present in small numbers and have been injured through various procedures.

Muller recommended Tetrathionate Broth as a selective medium for the recovery of Salmonella and demonstrated the effectiveness of Tetrathionate Broth(3) for enriching typhoid and paratyphoid bacilli while inhibiting coliform organisms. Kauffmann modified this formula to include Ox bile (4,5) for its selective properties, which supresses coliform bacteria and inhibits Gram-positive organisms. Using modified Muller's broth, Kauffmann increased the number of rapid screening of Salmonella in food(6,7). Meat Peptone provides nitrogen, carbon, vitamins, and amino acids. Sodium Chloride maintains the osmotic balance of the medium. Calcium Carbonate neutralizes and absorbs toxic metabolites. Selectivity is accomplished by the combination of Sodium Thiosulfate and tetrathionate, which suppresses commensal intestinal organisms (8). The British Standard Specification specifies Brilliant Green Tetrathionate Broth for isolating Salmonella from meat and meat products and from poultry and poultry products. Muller Kauffmann Tetrathionate Broth Base conforms with ISO Standards (9).