Comprehensive investigation of Salmonella spp.: Isolation, characterization and PCR primer set evaluation for enhanced detection and identification

Salmonellosis is a serious health concern for both animals and humans. According to a report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40,000 human infections occur annually; however, the number of unconfirmed cases is as high as approximately 800,000-4000,000. These organisms gain entry into the gastrointestinal cells and cause serious diseases, resulting in intestinal damage and even death.

In this research, 115 Salmonella isolates from different sources were tested. Using morphological, cultural and biochemical methods, they were classified into 30 serovars. Plasmid profiling was used for quick identification, which showed similarities among the isolates.PCR primer sets targeting specific genes, such as invA, hilA, iroB, oriC, fimA, hitJ and stn, demonstrated reliability, accuracy and specificity for identifying S. enterica serovars.

This study recommends the use of specific primer sets in PCR-based methods for rapid and reliable identification and detection of locally isolated Salmonella serovars/strains. This research adds to the continuing efforts for improving the diagnostic techniques to tackle the challenges presented by Salmonella spp.