UPDATE 1-SDIX gets FDA thu

* FDA says test equivalent to current standard care - Co

* Says test helps to reduce contamination levels

* Shares up 68 pct to over 2-year high

Jan 12 (Reuters) - Strategic Diagnostics Inc (SDIX.O) said the U.S. health regulator has said its RapidCheck Salmonella test is at a par with current standard methods for poultry use, sending the company's shares up as much as 68 percent.

The biotechnology company, which develops tests for the detection of food pathogens, said its RapidCheck test helps eggs producers identify Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) in the environment before it contaminates eggs, thus reducing chances of egg recalls.

Salmonella is a type of bacteria found at large in the environment that can cause various food-borne illnesses.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's requirements, eggs must be screened for the presence of SE to keep contaminated eggs from reaching the consumer market.

Last August, a nationwide recall of eggs was linked to an outbreak of salmonella that sickened hundreds of people in three U.S. states. [ID:nN26193413]

The company's shares, which have gained about 5 percent in the last 3 months, were trading up 50 percent at $2.80 on Wednesday morning on Nasdaq. They touched a two-year high of $3.13 earlier in the session. (Reporting by Krishnakali Sengupta in Bangalore; Editing by Roshni Menon)