ROLE OF SALMONELLA SEROLOGY A CENTURY AFTER THE WIDAL ERA.

Typhoid fever remains an important health burden in the developing world, whereas non-typhoid salmonelloses are one of the most common food-borne illnesses throughout the world and can be subjected to extra-intestinal complications. Culture is the gold standard for diagnosing a Salmonella infection. Serology can also provide evidence of infection. Serological methods for the diagnosis of Salmonella infections in humans and animals vary widely and can as well be used in epidemiologic studies to detect carriers, to assess infection rates, disease burden and vaccine responses. As with all serology, detecting antibody titers in Salmonella infections has its limits, mainly related to low sensitivity and specificity, high running costs, and antibody kinetics and peculiarities. Fast and more or less reliable immunoassays which detect Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi are commercially available. Veterinary and food sectors are well-provided with commercially tests for non-typhoid salmonellosis, while most immunoassays for non-typhoid human Salmonella diagnosis are developed and used in-house mainly for research or surveillance purposes. So far, there is no international consensus for the development of such serological tests for routine diagnostics. 119 years after the observations made by George Fernand Isidore Widal, this work intends to review and analyze the present state of facts and controversies in the field of Salmonella serology.