The combined EURL-Salmonella interlaboratory comparison study for Food and Primary production (2017) . Detection of Salmonella in hygiene swabs

In October 2017, a combined EURL-Salmonella interlaboratory comparison study on the detection of Salmonella in food samples and animal primary production stage was organised. In this study, hygiene swabs were chosen to be the matrix. All the laboratories involved were able to detect Salmonella in all the contaminated hygiene swab samples; they were all successful in analysing both the blank control sample and the positive control sample correctly. One laboratory made a mistake reporting the positive control negative for Salmonella and was, therefore, scored as having a 'moderate performance'. Blank hygiene swab samples, not contaminated with Salmonella, were correctly analysed as negative by almost all the laboratories. One laboratory found Salmonella present in two of the six blank samples and this was scored as a 'poor performance'. In a follow-up study this laboratory obtained good results for all samples. Participation was obligatory for all EU Member State National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) responsible for the detection of Salmonella in food samples, and voluntary for NRLs responsible for the detection of Salmonella in primary production stage samples. These latter laboratories had already participated in the compulsory EURL study for the detection of Salmonella in primary production samples which was organised in March 2017. A total of 56 NRLs participated in this study: 33 NRLs for Salmonella in Food matrices and 23 NRLs for Salmonella in Primary Production Stage matrices (PPS). The participants came from all 28 EU Member States (MS), four of the NRLs were based in third European countries and one was based in a non-European country. The EURL-Salmonella is situated at the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). An important task of the EURL-Salmonella is to monitor and to improve the performance of the National Reference Laboratories in Europe