The comparison of PCR technique and API-20E kit with the conventional biomedical methods for the

Background and objectives: Salmonella is one of the most importantagents of gastrointestinal infection and diarrhea in our country.Misdiagnosis of these bacteria leads to treatment failure. The aim of thisstudy was to make a comparison between PCR and the API-20E andconventional biochemical tests carried out for the identification ofSalmonella.Material and Methods: In this study, 470 specimens were taken fromchildren, with acute gastroenteritis, referred to teaching hospitals calledImam, Shariati and children medical centre. The specimens weretransferred to microbiology laboratory in public health school foridentification of Salmonella with PCR and API-20E methods.Results: Of 470 specimens, 65(13.8%) are positive for salmonella inhospital laboratory, while 37 (7.9%) for API-20E and 39 (8.3%) for PCRare positive. The results of antibiotic sensitivity tests on 39 salmonellaisolated from diarrhea specimens show that 73.3% of them are resistanceto at least one of the sixteen antibiotics tested.Conclusion: Based on the the results, there is significant difference(P<0.05) between conventional method, API-20E and PCRKey words: Salmonella, conventional identification, molecularidentification