Improvement of an invA-based PCR for the specific detection of Salmonella Typhimurium in organs of pigs

The aim of this study was to investigate the suitability of the invA-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the specific detection of Salmonella in organs of experimentally infected pigs and to compare these results to classical bacterial culture. While the PCR conditions specified in the "Deutsche Industrie Norm", DIN 10135 (closed integral 35 LMBG, 1999), cutle based on the publication of Rahn et al. 1992, revealed various unspecific amplification products, modifications of the PCR conditions allowed the specific amplification of the invA fragment from inner organs. The modified PCR assay correlates exactly with cultivation results (as required by DIN Norm 6579) and enables the detection of Salmonella within 48 hours with equal sensitivity compared to routine cultivation.