Identification of a sub-clinical Salmonella spp. infection in a dairy cow using a commercially available stool storage kit
File(s)animals-13-02807.pdf (3.71 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Marchesi, Julian
Alexander, James
Balarajah, Sharmili
Roberts, Lauren
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Stool sampling is a useful tool for diagnosing gastrointestinal disease in veterinary medicine. The sub-clinical disease burden of Salmonella spp. in cattle can become significant for farmers. However, current methods of faecal sampling in a rural setting for diagnosis are not consistently sufficient for the preservation of Salmonella spp. in faeces. This study evaluated the use of a commercial stool storage kit for bacterial preservation in cow faecal samples compared to unpreserved stools placed into refrigeration at different time-points. A stool sample was collected per-rectum from one apparently healthy Holstein–Freisen cow. The sample was weighed and aliquoted into two sterile Falcon tubes and into two commercial kit tubes. The aliquots were then placed into refrigeration at 4 °C at 0, 24, and 96 h after processing. One commercial kit tube was not aliquoted and remained at ambient temperature. After 2 weeks, DNA was extracted from the samples and analysed using endpoint PCR, revealing a sub-clinical infection with Salmonella spp. The bacterium was best preserved when the stool was stored in the commercial kit at ambient temperature and re-homogenised immediately prior to DNA extraction. The unpreserved stool did not maintain obvious levels of Salmonella spp. after 24 h at ambient temperature. This commercial kit should be considered for use in the diagnosis of salmonellosis in cattle.
Date Issued
2023-09-04
Date Acceptance
2023-09-02
Citation
Animals, 2023, 13 (17), pp.1-11
ISSN
2076-2615
Publisher
MDPI AG
Start Page
1
End Page
11
Journal / Book Title
Animals
Volume
13
Issue
17
Copyright Statement
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Identifier
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/17/2807
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
2807
Date Publish Online
2023-09-04