Oral fluid (OF) can be a simple, cheap and non-invasive alternative to serum or meat juice for the diagnosis and surveillance of important pathogens in pigs. This study was conducted on four Salmonella Typhimurium-positive farrow-to-finish pig farms: two Salmonella-vaccinated (V) and two non-vaccinated (NV). Gilts and sows in the V farms were vaccinated with a live, attenuated vaccine prior to farrowing. Pooled faecal and OF samples were collected from the sows and their offspring. Salmonella was isolated according to ISO6579-1:2017. In parallel, IgG and IgA levels were assessed in OF samples using a commercial ELISA assay. Salmonella was detected in 90.9% of the pooled faecal samples from the NV farms and in 35.1% of the pooled faecal samples from the V farms. Overall, a higher prevalence was observed in the pooled faecal samples from the offspring (76.3%) compared to the sows (36.4%). IgG antibodies measured in V farms are likely to be related to vaccination, as well as exposure to Salmonella field strains. The detection of IgA antibodies in OF was unreliable with the method used. The results of this study show that IgG is the most reliable isotype for monitoring Salmonella-specific antibody immunity in vaccinated/infected animals via OF.
Keywords: ELISA; Salmonella; antibodies; oral fluid; pigs.