dog and cat assay data sheet
Salmonella
Test code:
B0040 - Ultrasensitive qualitative detection of
Salmonella bacteria
by real time polymerase chain reaction
B0040 is
included on P0022 - canine
diarrhea panel and
P0028 - feline diarrhea panel
and
P0041
- waterborne pathogens screening panel
Salmonella
are gram negative bacteria that occur worldwide, inhabiting the
intestinal tracts of many species including humans, nonhuman
primates, birds, horses, pigs, dogs, cats, rats, mice, hamsters,
guinea pigs and other species. The house mouse is of special
concern, as it is often a carrier and plays a significant role
in spreading human and animal salmonellosis.
Altogether, there are more than 1600 recognized serotypes of
Salmonella.
According to
a recent report (http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/vla/science/
documents/science-end-survrep-qtlyw405.pdf), garden bird
salmonellosis is the most frequently diagnosed infectious
disease among the wild birds submitted to the United Kingdom’s
Diseases of Wildlife scheme. The condition is primarily caused
by infection with Salmonella
typhimurium, although other serotypes have been
reported. Environmental contamination by these infected birds
can lead to the exposure of other species, notably cats, horses
and humans. Animal feed containing contaminated animal
byproducts continues to be a source of
Salmonella
infection, especially in diets containing raw, unpelleted meal.
Humans and
animals infected by
Salmonella bacteria can be asymptomatic, with
clinical signs precipitated by stress. Clinical infections may
progress to enteritis, septicemia and variable mortality. A high
percentage of survivors become carriers. In humans, acute
gastroenteritis can result in sudden onset of abdominal pain,
diarrhea, nausea, and fever. Septicemia may sometimes develop in
humans, especially in immunocompromised patients.
Fecal and
blood culture with selective media have been used to identify
Salmonella. However, identification by culture has relatively
low sensitivity and is quite slow. Molecular detection of these
bacteria, on the other hand, is a highly sensitive and specific
technique, and is also more tolerant of suboptimal specimen
shipping and handling conditions.
Utilities:
-
Help confirm the disease causing agent
-
Shorten the time required to confirm a clinical
diagnosis of Salmonella
infection
-
Help ensure animal groups are free of
Salmonella
-
Early prevention of spread of these bacteria among a
group of animals
-
Minimize human exposure to these bacteria
-
Safety monitoring of biological products and vaccines
that derive from susceptible animals
Specimen requirement:
Preferred specimens:
Rectal swab, or 0.2 ml feces or bacterial culture, or
environmental swab.
Less
preferred specimen: 0.2 ml whole blood in EDTA (purple top) tube.
Contact Zoologix if advice is needed to determine an appropriate specimen type for a specific diagnostic application. For specimen types not listed here, please contact Zoologix to confirm specimen acceptability and shipping instructions.
For all
specimen types, if there will be a delay in shipping, or during
very warm weather, refrigerate specimens until shipped and ship
with a cold pack unless more stringent shipping requirements are
specified. Frozen specimens should be shipped so as to remain
frozen in transit. See shipping
instructions for more information.
Turnaround time:
2 business days
Methodology:
Qualitative
real time PCR
Normal range:
Nondetected
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