ARS | Publication request: Mucosal Competitive Exclusion to Reduce Salmonella in Swine

Submitted to: International Symposium on Epidemiology and Control of Salmonella in Pork
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: April 16, 1997
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Use of a mucosal competitive exclusion culture has been shown to reduce/eliminate Salmonella spp. in poultry. A mucosal competitive exclusion culture was produced from the cecum of a six-week-old pig (MCES). Suckling pigs were inoculated with 5 ml MCES by oral gavage within 6 hours post-farrowing (PF) and again at 24 h PF. All pigs were challenged with 10**3 CFU Salmonella choleraesuis at 48 h PF by intranasal instillation, including pigs from 2 sows which had not been given MCES. Clinical signs and rectal swabs were monitored daily and pigs were allowed to suckle throughout the experiment. All pigs were necropsied on D7 PF and qualitative (10 tissues) and quantitative (2 tissues) bacteriology was conducted. Clinical signs were inapparent in all pigs throughout the experiment. Recovery of Salmonella from rectal swabs was variable. However, 28% of the gut tissues were positive from the MCES treated pigs versus 79% positive tissues from the control pigs. A 2 to 5 log reduction of Salmonella in the cecal contents (CC) or ileocolic junction (ICJ) was observed in the MCES treated pigs when compared to the controls. In a weaning experiment, suckling pigs were given MCES at 6 and 24 h PF and at 1 day prior to and the day of weaning. Weaned pigs were challenged with 104 CFU Salmonella typhimurium and one-half of the pigs were necropsied at 1 and 2 weeks post-challenge. While differences in tissue colonization between groups were not as dramatic, a 4 log difference was observed by 2 weeks in the CC of MCES pigs. Additionally, MCES treated pigs had 27% positive swabs versus 72% for controls. These data indicate that use of MCES may be a practical solution for control of Salmonella.