Real-Time PCR Detection of Salmonella in Suspect Foods from a Gastroenteritis Outbreak in Kerr County, Texas

In June 2001, an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis among 109 attendees of a church picnic in Kerr County, Texas, was reported. A 5′-nuclease PCR assay was used to screen for Salmonella in nine food items from the buffet line. Barbeque chicken B tested positive for Salmonella, and no amplification was detected in the remaining food items. These PCR findings were consistent with culture results and were confirmed by direct nucleotide sequencing. Salmonella enterica serotype Panama was cultured from both food and patient stool samples.