The pathogenesis of Salmonella Enteritidis in experimentally infected ducks:: A quantitative time-course study using TaqMan polymerase chain reaction

Ducks were subcutaneously infected with a high-virulence strain of Salmonella enterica ssp. enterica serovar Enteritidis (Salmonella Enteritidis). The kinetics of the Salmonella Enteritidis genomic DNA loads, the immunohistochemical localization of the bacterial antigens, and the histopathological examination in various tissues were investigated. The results showed that the time course of the appearance of the Salmonella Enteritidis bacterial antigens and the lesions in various tissues was coincident with the bacterial load of the organism in various infected tissues. This suggests that Salmonella Enteritidis loads in systemic organs are closely correlated with the progression of the infection.