The testing method used to diagnose salmonella enterocolitis is a laboratory test that detects Salmonella bacteria in stool, body tissue, or fluids. The test could be a culture that isolates the bacteria or a culture-independent diagnostic test (CIDT) that detects genetic material of the bacteria. The most common method is Salmonella bacterial culture on enteric (fecal or intestinal) samples, which is the recommended test for most Salmonella requests. Blood cultures for Salmonella may also be indicated when attempting to isolate Salmonella Dublin in untreated dairy calves or in sepsis/fever of unknown origin cases in other species. It can take three to five days to get the results of a traditional Salmonella lab test based on a blood, urine, or stool sample. It is important to collect a specimen for laboratory testing before antibiotics are given because treatment with antibiotics before collecting a specimen for testing can affect bacterial growth in culture and lead to a negative test result even when Salmonella causes the infection.