ORAL PRESENTATIONS ORAL PRESENTATIONS The Sero-prevalence of Salmonella spp. in Finishing Swine in Iowa

Summary: This study represents the first attempt to classify Iowa production sites for Salmonella spp. sero-prevalence. The data suggest that the Iowa herds are similar in their distribution with respect to sero-prevalence of salmonella as Danish herds. Ignoring herd size, 91.2 of surveyed herds were negative or level 1, 8.2 % were level 2 herds, and 1.6 % level 3. These results are similar to previous Danish studies (Alban et al., 2002, Mousing et al., 1997). The current data suggests that larger herds tend to have a higher sero-prevalence than smaller units; however, formal analysis has yet to be conducted to determine the direct association between herd size and salmonella sero-prevalence. Studies by Carstensen et al. (1998) suggested that herd size was statistically associated, albeit weakly, with Salmonella sero-prevalence, but the authors concluded the relationship was probably not biologically significant. Introduction: The study objective was to estimate the Salmonella serologic prevalence of production sites in Iowa. Methods and materials: The study population was ~ 1150 Iowa producers who submitted at least one lot (lot sizes – 2 0- 180 head) per month- March to February 2002. Four diaphragm samples wer