Epidemiological survey on the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in the Sardinian pig production chain, using real-time PCR screening method

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of spp. in the Sardinian pig production chain in order to establish the incidence of monophasic serovariant of Typhimurium on isolates with molecular methods (real-time PCR and multiplex PCR). Samples were collected in three EC slaughterhouses, four small slaughterhouses annexed to farmhouses, one meat distribution center, four meat cutting laboratories and four sausage processing plants. A total of 166 samples were collected and analyzed: 46 environmental samples, 48 finishing pigs, 16 piglets, 24 samples of non-processed meat, 28 meat preparations and 4 meat products. All samples were processed with an initial screening using the real-time PCR () and with the TaqMan® Real-time PCR to confirm the kit results. Samples that tested positive for spp were confirmed with cultural method using the standard ISO 6579. Positive samples were submitted to phenotypic identification. One colony from each positive sample was serotyped with multiplex PCR method. spp was isolated in 7 on 166 samples (4.22 %). Among the positive samples, two came from finishing pigs, two belonged to the category meat preparations, two to meat products, one was an environmental sample. Multiplex PCR confirmed that the collected strains belonged to the species Typhimurium (1), (3) and monophasic serovariant of Typhimurium (3).