USDA Develops Technique to Detect Deadly Strain of Salmonella

In a discovery that could save lives, scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have developed a technique to rapidly detect a deadly strain of salmonella bacteria, the government said Wednesday. The strain of salmonella, DT104, is especially dangerous because it is resistant to many antibiotics. Government researchers were able to find the strain’s gene sequence, allowing scientists to quickly identify the bacterium.

The USDA said the government hopes to develop test kits that can detect the strain in blood samples or in runoff water from animal production. Salmonella has been linked to as many as 3.8 million illnesses annually in the United States and was the second-most common bacterium found in food poisoning cases in 1997, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

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Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II