Estimation of the on-farm Salmoenlla enterica prevalence in market swine
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Abstract
The objective of this study was to compare fecal culture, meat juice ELISA, and culture of abattoir collected tissues for their ability to accurately estimate the on-farm prevalence of Salmonella enterica in market swine. Six herds, depopulated in the Accelerated Pseudorabies Eradication Program, were used. One-half of study pigs (50) were necropsied on-farm; the other half (50) at a commercial abattoir. The true farm prevalence (TFP), based on positive ileocecal lymph nodes, cecal contents, or fecal samples was estimated at 5.3%. This estimate was higher than any provided by a single sample type cultured. The seroprevalence (meat juice ELISA) was estimated at 20% using a cutoff of OD% > 40. Prevalence estimates from abattoir collected samples were much higher than the TFP; 39.9% of pigs were culture positive. This study shows that a single round of fecal collections will underestimate the true Salmonella status of a herd and that samples collected at the abattoir will overestimate the on-farm prevalence.