Submitted to: Avian Diseases
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: January 13, 1997
Publication Date: N/A
Interpretive Summary: One of the most important bacteria involved in food poisoning is Salmonella. Poultry and eggs are considered a potential source of the Salmonella in human infections. Because of the concern for human food safety, several tests have been developed to detect Salmonella in poultry and poultry houses. Therefore, our laboratory has evaluated two techniques for detecting Salmonella in poultry houses. Cotton gauze pads either left dry or soaked with skim milk were placed in ten poultry houses. The individual skim milk soaked pads were found to be twice as effective for detecting Salmonella in the poultry houses than dry gauze pads. These results will help poultry producers to select an adequate sampling strategy for the detection of Salmonella and to eventually reduce the contamination of food products.
Technical Abstract:
Three surveys were conducted during November 1995, March 1996, and May 1996, to compare the use of double-strength skim milk (wet) or no transport media (dry) drag-swabs for the detection of salmonellae in 10 broiler houses. Salmonellae were isolated from 57 of 120 individual wet drag-swabs, compared with 21 of 120 dry drag-swabs samples. Furthermore, Salmonella was detected at a higher frequency with wet drag-swabs (66.7%) than dry drag-swabs (40%) when compared on an individual growout house basis. A total of 7 different serotypes were isolated from the 10 broiler houses. Although double-skim milk drag-swabs are more labor intensive than dry drag-swabs, double-skim milk drag-swabs are more efficient for detecting Salmonella than dry drag-swabs with no transport media.
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