Identification by a multiplex PCR‐based assay of Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Enteritidis strains from environmental swabs of poultry houses

A multiplex-PCR-based assay (m-PCR) was developed for the detection of Salmonella and for the identification of the two serotypes Enteritidis and Typhimurium. Three sets of primers selected from different genomic sequences amplified a 429 bp fragment specific for the genus Salmonella within a randomly cloned sequence, a 559 bp target specific for Salmonella Typhimurium within the fliC gene and a 312 bp fragment specific for Salmonella Enteritidis within the sefA gene. The m-PCR-based assay was used for detecting Salmonella from 1078 environmental swabs of poultry houses. Prior to PCR, these swabs were pre-enriched in phosphate-buffered peptone water for 18–20 h and then sub-cultured on a Modified Semi-solid Rappaport Vassiliadis medium (MSRV) for 18–20 h. The m-PCR combined with MSRV had a better sensitivity (95%) than the bacteriological method (92·5%). The MSRV-m-PCR assay and the bacteriological method had an agreement rate of 95·6%.