Assessment of the salmonella burden in slaughter pigs by results of meat-juice-ELISA

During a study on the salmonella infection rate in slaughter pigs, bacterio logical results were collected from faecal samples and intestinal lymphnode s, and serological results were acquired from meat-juice-ELISA. Serological findings and resulting serological parameters were analysed for their capa city to provide an indication of the salmonella burden in a given lot of sl aughter pigs or in the farm of origin. The arithmetic mean antibody concentration of a lot of slaughter pigs or a piggery, or the number of animals reacting above 30% according to the Danis h standard, or the number of animals reacting above 40% according to the Da nish standard are all three equally suited to differentiate between a low a nd a high level of infection. The mean antibody concentration was found to be the best parameter for epid emiological studies that compare the serological status between herds or in vestigate the development of antibodies within a given piggery.