Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook

The Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook (MLG) contains test methods used by the FSIS Field Service Laboratories to support FSIS regulatory activities. The MLG contains methods for the sample preparation, isolation and identification of the major foodborne pathogenic microorganisms and their toxins, meat tissue species identification, and the detection of antimicrobial residues. Appendices to the MLG include a pathogen method summary chart, method flow charts, Media and Reagent formulations, and Most Probable Number Tables. Methods contained in the MLG are designed to provide FSIS analysts with written documentation to facilitate training, performance, quality assessment, and interpretation of data. FSIS does not specifically endorse any of the products mentioned in the MLG and acknowledges other products may be available for laboratory use.

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Method Number	Method Title
	Cover, Foreword, General Considerations (PDF Only)
1.	Sample Preparation For Meat, Poultry and Pasteurized Egg Products (1998; PDF Only)
2.	Physical Examination of Meat and Poultry Products (1998; PDF Only)
3.02	Quantitative Analysis of Bacteria in Foods as Sanitary Indicators (Jan 5, 2015; PDF Only)
4.10	Isolation and Identification of Salmonella from Meat, Poultry, Pasteurized Egg, and Siluriformes (Fish) Products and Carcass and Environmental Sponges (Jan 2, 2019; PDF Only) Appendix 2.05, Flow Chart Specific for FSIS Laboratory Isolation and Identification of Salmonella (Feb 24, 2020; PDF Only)
5C.00	Detection, Isolation and Identification of Top Seven Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (STECs) from Meat Products and Carcass and Environmental Spongess (Feb 4, 2019; PDF Only) Appendix 1.00, Flow Chart Specific for FSIS Laboratory Isolation and Identification of non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (STEC) (Feb 4, 2019; PDF Only) Appendix 2.00, Morphologies of Representative Strains from Six non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (STEC) Grown on Modified Rainbow Agar (Feb 4, 2019; PDF Only) Appendix 3.00, PCR Platform Instructions, Data Analysis, and Control Results Interpretation for non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (STEC) Real-time PCR Assay Feb 4, 2019; PDF Only) Appendix 4.00, Primer and Probe Sequences and Reagent Concentrations for non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (STEC) Real-Time PCR Assay (Feb 4, 2019; PDF Only) Appendix 5.00, PCR Platform Instructions for the real-time PCR detection of Shiga toxin gene and H7 gene in E. coli O157:H7 (Feb 4, 2019; PDF Only)
7.	Isolation and Identification of Aeromonas Species from Meat and Poultry Products (ARCHIVED Feb 16, 2016)
8.11	Isolation and Identification of Listeria monocytogenes from Red Meat, Poultry, Ready-To-Eat Siluriformes (Fish) and Egg Products, and Environmental Samples (Jan 2, 2019; PDF Only) Appendix 1.04, Flow Chart Specific for FSIS Laboratory Isolation and Identification of Listeria monocytogenes (Jan 2, 2019; PDF Only)
9.	Isolation & Identification of Pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica from Meat and Poultry Products (ARCHIVED Feb 16, 2016)
10.	Examination of Heat Processed, Hermetically Sealed (Canned) Meat and Poultry Products (1998; PDF Only)
11.	Tests For Enzymes In Meat and Meat Products (ARCHIVED Feb 16, 2016)
12.	Examination of Meat and Poultry Products For Bacillus cereus (1998; PDF Only)
13.	Examination of Meat and Poultry Products For Clostridium perfringens (1998; PDF Only)
14.	Methods for the Detection of Clostridium botulinum Toxins In Meat and Poultry Products (ARCHIVED Feb 16, 2016)
16.	Agarose Thin-Layer Isoelectric Focusing (TLIEF) For Species Determination of Raw Muscle Tissues (ARCHIVED Feb 16, 2016)
17.02	Identification of Animal Species in Meat and Poultry Products (Feb 10, 2005; PDF Only)
18.	Species Identification Field Tests (SIFT) (ARCHIVED Feb 16, 2016)
19.	Competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunoassay (CELIA) For The Detection and Quantitation of Chloramphenicol (ARCHIVED Feb 16, 2016)
	Chapter Numbers 22-31 Reserved For Future Use.
34.03	Bioassay for the Detection, Identification and Quantitation of Antimicrobial Residues in Meat and Poultry Tissue (May 25, 2011; PDF Only)
39.03	Preliminary and Confirmatory testing of FSIS Regulated Products for Staphylococcal Enterotoxins (April 1, 2018; PDF Only)
40.00	Avian Influenza Detection in the Chicken Heart Using Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase PCR (Oct 8, 2007; PDF Only)
41.04	Isolation and Identification of Campylobacter jejuni/coli/lari from Poultry Rinse, Sponge and Raw Product Samples (May 1, 2016; PDF Only) Appendix 1.01, FSIS Laboratory Flow Chart for Isolation and Identification of Campylobacter jejuni/coli/lari from Poultry Rinse, Sponge and Raw Product Samples: Direct Plating Analysis (Aug 18, 2014; PDF Only) Appendix 2.01, FSIS Laboratory Specific Flow Chart for Campylobacter jejuni/coli/lari Enrichment Analysis (May 1, 2016; PDF Only)
41A.00	FSIS Procedure for the Use of a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Assay for Screening Campylobacter jejuni/coli/lari in Poultry Rinse, Sponge and Raw Product Samples (May 1, 2016; PDF Only)
42.00	Whole Genome Sequencing of Bacterial Isolates (Sep 14, 2020; PDF Only)
Appendices:
1.09	Media and Reagents (Dec 29, 2017; PDF Only)
2.05	Most Probable Number Procedure and Tables (Jun 29, 2014; PDF Only)
3.03	FSIS Laboratory Regulatory Sample Pathogen Methods Table and Definitions (Feb 24, 2020; PDF Only)

All methods are offered as PDF documents. If you require an alternative format, please contact:

Microbiology Section
Laboratory Quality Assurance Staff, USDA/FSIS/OPHS
950 College Station Road
Athens, GA 30605
Phone: (706) 546-3559

FSIS

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

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