SPECIAL STORY 44 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE September 2022 CONTROLLING SALMONELLA IN BREEDING EGGS AND TABLE EGGS The two contamination points in egg laying birds (laying hens and breeding hens)—the egg contents and the shell—can be controlled by reducing the amount of Salmonella in the hen’s gut. Internal egg contents become contaminated when Salmonella bacteria from the digestive tract move into circulation through the damaged intestinal epithelium and then colonize in the reproductive tract. Once in the reproductive tract, Salmonella is transferred to the egg contents through the vitelline membrane (Gast et al, 2005). Salmonella is also shed in the hen’s feces, so contamination of the eggshell can occur if there is fecal material on the eggs. The porous structure of the eggshell allows for the movement of Salmonella from the feces into the egg. This is more likely to happen if the eggshell is of poor quality. Dirty layer eggs bring Salmonella risk to the egg processing facilities while dirty breeder eggs bring risk to the hatcheries. Control points for Salmonella in both types of eggs can be regulated through managing the hen’s gut health and microbiome. If we can reduce gut colonization for internal egg contamination, and fecal shedding for external egg contamination, we can drastically reduce the likelihood of eggs carrying Salmonella. CONTROLLING SALMONELLA AT THE HATCHERY Survey studies from China, Korea, Great Britain, and the Netherlands have shown that there can be a large variability in Salmonella detection at the hatchery, depending on sanitation practices (,Van Der Fels-Klerx et al., 2008, Ren et al, 2016, Ha et al., 2018, Oaster et al., 2022) . Even with strict sanitation processes in place, there is still a risk of contamination. Salmonella has been known to increase the ‘Exploders’ – the eggs exploding during the incubation and hatching processes due to overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella- resulting in killing the embryo. Furthermore, dust, debris, and fecal material released from the Salmonella contaminated eggs during the incubation and hatching processes, lead to the spread of contaminates to other chicks in the same incubator or hatcher (Cason et al., 1994). Since chicks have an unestablished gut microbiota, Salmonella can easily travel to the gut for colonization sites and food with little competition. With proper hatchery sanitation practices and the introduction of controlled competitive exclusion, we can reduce the risk of Salmonella in chicks before they go to the farm. CONTROLLING SALMONELLA IN COMMERCIAL BROILERS AND LAYING HENS Broilers are most susceptible to Salmonella contamination and colonization in the first two weeks of life as their gut microbiota is naïve and in the process of getting established (Butcher and Miles, 2018). To outcompete Salmonella, the broiler gut needs consistent and continuous protection through grow-out with tools for competitive exclusion which can deprive Salmonella of places to colonize, as well as reducing the food sources available for Salmonella to colonize and proliferate. By protecting the health and integrity of the gut and improving nutrient utilization within the gut, less Salmonella can grow and replicate in that environment. This benefits the flock, with less spread of the pathogen between flock mates (horizontal transmission). To control Salmonella in broiler and layers facilities, consistency is key. By reducing the Salmonella in the bird’s gut, you can help reduce the pathogenic loads entering the processing facilities. CONTROLLING SALMONELLA IN PROCESSING FACILITIES With the processing facilities being one of the last stops before poultry products go to market, the importance of processors to utilize existing, new, and additional measures to prevent contamination. Contact, temperature, and time must be monitored to reduce bacterial growth and contam-
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