Some Observations on Serological Testing for Salmonella typhimurium in Breeder Turkeys

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Abstract
The efficacy of the S. typhimurium agglutination procedure in detecting infection in breeder turkeys was analyzed. Although a 100% correlation between positive serology and positive isolation was not attained, it was found that certain procedures would increase this correlation. Isolation rate on a flock and per-bird basis was optimum when three or four suspect birds were examined per flock. The average isolation rate over a three-year testing season indicated that birds from one of three flocks examined on the basis of positive serology yielded Salmonella; also, one out of every five birds examined yielded Salmonella. It was apparent that a flock could not be considered infected (reactor) on the basis of serology alone. Although 27 of 34 ranches tested clean for 3 consecutive years, it was observed that a clean test one year would not assure similar results the subsequent year. Conversely, a ranch with reactor birds one year could have a flock that tested clean the next year. Retests conducted in order to clean an infected flock were successful in 10 of 13 flocks; however, such practice, when successful, may be a means to an end for a single season only. When one analyzes the program objectively, it is evident that testing is merely part of the entire program.

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