Time course of Salmonella shedding and antibody response in naturally infected pigs during grower-finisher stage.

A longitudinal trial was conducted to determine the course of Salmonella shedding and antibody response in naturally infected grower-finisher pigs. Ten-week-old pigs (n = 45) were transferred from a farm with history of salmonellosis and housed at a research facility. Weekly fecal samples (weeks 1 to 11) as well as tissue samples at slaughter were cultured for Salmonella. Serum samples were tested for presence of Salmonella antibody by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Data were analyzed using a multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression model. Over 10 wk, 91% and 9% of pigs shed Salmonella ≤ 4 and > 5 times, respectively. The estimated median of Salmonella shedding duration was 3 to 4 wk but some pigs shed Salmonella for up to 8 wk. Salmonella shedding increased 1 wk post-arrival but followed a decreasing pattern afterwards up to week 11 (P < 0.05). Salmonella isolates (n = 29), which were recovered from 18 pigs at different occasions, were S. Typhimurium (28%), S. Livingstone (21%), S. Infantis (14%), S. Montevideo (7%), S. Benfica (3%), S. Amsterdam (3%), S. Senftenberg (17%), and S. I:Rough-O (7%). Of 11 pigs from which the first and last isolates were serotyped, 10 pigs were reinfected with a different serotype. At slaughter, Salmonella was isolated from 7 pigs, of which 5 (71%) had not tested positive for at least 7 wk prior to slaughter. Antibody response peaked 4 wk after the peak of Salmonella infection; Salmonella shedding reduced as antibody response elevated (P < 0.05). These findings indicate that pigs may shed Salmonella into the mid-point of the grower-finisher stage and may be reinfected with different serotypes.