Detecting Salmonella Dublin in environmental samples through endpoint multiplex PCR and culture

Salmonella Dublin (S. Dublin), a host-adapted serovar, is ca­pable of causing disease in both humans and cattle. Infected animals are prone to becoming long-term carriers, shedding the pathogen, contaminating the environment, and sustaining the disease cycle on the farm. Traditional culture methods are often less sensitive for detecting the pathogen in environmen­tal samples, limiting our ability to understand its prevalence and epidemiology. Therefore, integrating culture-independent techniques is imperative to enhance our capacity to identify affected areas, provide insights into transmission routes, and contribute to mitigating the risk of disease transmission. This study aims to ascertain the prevalence of S. Dublin in environ­mental samples from calf production systems, including calf marketing operations, veal and dairy-beef farms, using mul­tiplex endpoint polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and culture. We hypothesize that PCR will enhance the specific detection of S. Dublin in cattle environments.