We compared selective enrichment broths used by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service, for their efficiency in the quantitative recovery of Listeria monocytogenes from a naturally contaminated Brie cheese that was obtained as part of an epidemic investigation. Quantitative recovery of Listeria in FDA broth (greater than 2.4 x 10(5) colony forming units/mL) was significantly better than recovery in USDA broth (9.3 x 10(3) colony forming units/mL). When USDA broth was supplemented with D-glucose and Phytone (papaic digest of soy protein), its recovery efficiency improved but did not equal that of FDA broth for isolating L. monocytogenes from Brie cheese. A comparison of 4 selective plating media [modified McBride's agar, gum base nalidixic acid agar, lithium chloride-phenylethanol-moxalactam agar (LPM), and acriflavine-ceftazidime agar (AC)] showed that 3 L. monocytogenes strains belonging to serotype 1/2a were partially or completely inhibited on LPM and AC agars. One strain of serotype 1/2a formed microcolonies on modified McBride's agar after 48 h of incubation.