Quantitative Real-time PCR (qPCR) for the Determination of Salmonella Levels in Lairage

Abstract

The sensitivity of the quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay (qPCR) was shown to be 10,000 Salmonella colony forming units (cfu) of bacteria per gram of fecal matter; this means that this rapid and specific test is a useful tool for the industry. The study found a trend toward a reduced, but not statistically significant, amount of Salmonella in lairage pens from standard hygiene practices of washing pens between groups of swine. This reduction of Salmonella in lairage pens may result in decrease transmission between groups, and, ultimately, in fewer numbers of contaminated carcasses at slaughter. It might also allow one to determine if on farm and transport methods are reducing Salmonella fecal incidence in lairage pens. The lack of significance is partially due to the low number of positive pens in this study before washing. Due to the low numbers found in pens in this study, samples were not collected from transport as they would have not lead to significant differences between various treatments.