Evaluation of a High Throughput CRISPR Sequence-Based Method for Identification of Multiple Salmonella Serovars in a Sample from Poultry Production Environments

The purpose of this project is to evaluate a metabarcoding method based on PCR and high throughput sequencing of CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat) loci to simultaneously detect numerous Salmonella serovars in poultry environmental samples to support advancement and modernization of poultry monitoring programs to enhance food safety. Specific objectives of the project are: 1) to integrate the targeted metabarcoding method based on CRISPR sequences of Salmonella with existing procedures for sample preparation and pre-enrichment for simultaneous detection of multiple serovars. 2) to validate the metabarcoding method against a standard culture method using naturally contaminated samples from Ontario’s poultry production environments under applied conditions. 3) to assess the value, economic and other impacts of using the CIDT approach as compared to the standard culture method.