ARS | Publication request: EFFECTIVENESS OF AN UNDEFINED MUCOSAL COMPETITIVE EXCLUSION TREATMENT TO CONTROL SALMONELLA IN TURKEYS DURING BREEDING

Submitted to: Applied Poultry Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: September 14, 2000
Publication Date: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Cultures (competitive exclusion) generated from the mucosal scrapings of healthy adult turkeys were administered to commercial turkey poults. Treated poults were placed on tom and hen farms with paired untreated control poults in adjacent houses. After 6 weeks in the brood house, cecal droppings from both groups were collected and analyzed for the presence of salmonellae. Salmonellae were detected in 14 out of 30 cecal droppings (47 %) from control flocks and from only 1 of 30 (3.3 %) droppings from the treated poults. This study demonstrated that competitive exclusion cultures can be used to effectively control salmonellae in young commercial turkey flocks.

Technical Abstract: Mucosal competitive exclusion (MCE) cultures generated from the mucosal scrapings of healthy adult turkeys were administered to commercial turkey poults. MCE-treated poults were placed on tom and hen farms with paired untreated control poults in adjacent houses. After 6 weeks in the brood house, cecal droppings from control and treated flocks were collected and analyzed for the presence of salmonellae. Salmonellae were detected in 14 out of 30 cecal droppings (47 %) from control flocks and from only 1 of 30 (3.3 %) droppings from the treated poults. This study demonstrated that competitive exclusion can be used to effectively control salmonellae in young commercial turkey flocks.