DETECTION OF SALMONELLA DNA IN CHICKEN EMBRYOS AND ENVIRONMENTAL-SAMPLES BY POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION

By polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a pair of primers specific fo r Salmonella phoE: gene a 365-bp specific gene fragment could be ampli fied from yolk of infertile eggs and dead-in-shell chicken embryos, an d from environmental samples. Out of 45 dead-in-shell embryo samples, 20 (44.4%) were found positive for Salmonella DNA by PCR compared to 1 1 (24.4%) by bacteria isolation. Salmonella DNA could also be detected from infertile eggs, chicken farces, floor litter and chick fluff, wh ich incidence was higher than that by bacteria isolation.