Open AccessEvaluation of oral fluids for surveillance of foodborne and zoonotic pathogens in pig farms
Author(s) -
Franziska Schott,
Karolin Hoffmann,
Eleonora Sarno,
Patrick Daniel Bangerter,
Roger Stephan,
Gudrun Overesch,
Michael Haessig,
Xaver Sidler,
Robert Graage
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.529
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1943-4936
pISSN - 1040-6387
DOI - 10.1177/10406387211021599
Subject(s) - mcnemar's test , veterinary medicine , feces , salmonella , medicine , antibody , biology , virology , microbiology and biotechnology , immunology , bacteria , statistics , genetics , mathematics
The use of oral fluid (OF) to detect zoonotic pathogens in pigs has been only scarcely assessed. We evaluated OF as a potential specimen for detection by culture of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Yersinia enterocolitica , and the detection of antibodies against Salmonella spp. and hepatitis E virus (HEV) using commercial ELISAs. Samples from 33 pig farms were collected at the beginning and end of the fattening period. Results of the OF samples were compared with the results of serum samples and nasal swabs from individual pigs and pen floor fecal samples, using the Cohen kappa (κ) and the McNemar test. For Salmonella spp. antibodies, OF samples were negative, although the corresponding serum samples were positive. The detection of HEV antibodies in sera and OF had agreement at the first sampling, and poor and significant agreement at the second sampling (κ = 0.185, McNemar p = 0.238; κ = 0.088, McNemar p < 0.001). At both sampling times, the detection of MRSA in nasal swabs and OF showed agreement (κ = 0.466, McNemar p = 0.077; κ = 0.603, McNemar p = 1); agreement was seen for the detection of Y. enterocolitica in fecal and OF samples (κ = 0.012, McNemar p = 0.868; κ = 0.082, McNemar p = 0.061, respectively). According to the McNemar test, the use of pen-based OFs is more feasible for the detection of MRSA and Y. enterocolitica by culture than is detection of antibodies by commercial ELISA.