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Researchers Develop Powerful Tools For Detecting Salmonella

It is well documented that the persistence of Salmonella serotypes along the "farm to fork" production continuum represents significant animal health, public health and financial concerns for the poultry industry. Over 100 serotypes have been linked to human disease and/or have accumulated genetic change to enhance virulence. There is also considerable genetic variation within different strains of the same serotype, and these changes have the potential to alter the virulence and survival capabilities of these strains.

These strains that vary in virulence because of genetic changes are called pathotypes. In light of these facts, it is important that we understand the basis for these genetic changes within important Salmonella serotypes, and develop molecular tools to easily detect Salmonella in processing and environmental samples.

Proposal Objectives: (1) Identify small unique gene sequences unique to the major poultry food safety-related Salmonella serotypes and pathotypes. These unique sequences are called SNPs (pronounced SNIPS). Design reagents and protocols to detect the Salmonella SNPs.

(2) Determine the efficacy and efficiency of this protocol in detecting the presence, quantity and relative distribution of the targeted Salmonella serotypes under different cultural and environmental conditions.

(3) Expand the utility of the protocol to include additional SNPs within additional genes, and expand detection of serotypes on environmental samples across the "farm to fork" continuum within the poultry industry.

Objective Achievements: (1) SNPs and test protocols were successfully identified in the cyaA gene that distinguished between major serotypes (S. enteritidis, S. typhimurium, S. Kentucky) and important S.enteritidis pathotypes.

(2) To expand the utility of this protocol, SNPs within a second gene target, ushA, were identified for major serotypes (S. enteritidis, S. typhimurium, S. Heidelberg, S. infantis, S. Kentucky).

(3) The developed assays correctly identified 89-100 percent of a panel of Salmonella isolates from environmental poultry production or processing settings.

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