Serotyping of sub-Saharan Africa Salmonella Strains Isolated from Different Sources Using Multiplex PCR and Capillary Electrophoresis Analysis and whole Genome Sequencing

Abstract BackgroundSalmonella enterica remains a leading cause of food-borne diseases worldwide. Serotype information is important in food safety and public health activities to reduce the burden of salmonellosis. In the current study, two methods were used to determine serotypes of 225 clinical, environmental, food and veterinary isolates of Salmonella from Burkina Faso. First, Salmonella Multiplex Assay for Rapid Typing (SMART) Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was used to determine the serovars of the S. enterica isolates. Second, serovar prediction based on whole genome sequencing (WGS) data was performed using SeqSero 2.0.ResultsAmong the 225 Salmonella isolates, serotypes for 48 (21.33%) isolates were identified based on comparison to a panel of representative SMART codes previously determined for the 50 most common serovars in the United States. One hundred and seventy-six new SMART codes were developed for common and uncommon serotypes. Serotypes for a total of 205 (91.1%) isolates were identified using SeqSero 2.0 for serovar prediction based on WGS data.ConclusionWe determined that SeqSero 2.0 was more comprehensive for identifying Salmonella serotypes from Burkina Faso than SMART PCR.