Location: Food and Feed Safety Research
Project Number: 3091-32420-001-020-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jul 1, 2026
End Date: Jun 30, 2030
Objective:
Advance food-safety outcomes in beef supply chains by broadly reducing the risk of Salmonella entering ground-beef production through peripheral (non-mesenteric) lymph nodes and fecal routes. The effort will characterize carriage patterns across major production contexts—spanning cattle types, seasons, and regions—to create a decision-ready picture of where and when risk is most likely to emerge and how it fluctuates over time. Prior work indicates that carriage and concentrations are not uniform and can vary meaningfully with production scheme and seasonal conditions; building on those observations, this project will assemble a comprehensive, multi-context baseline to inform risk-aware practices without relying on site- or brand-specific details. The project further seeks to clarify how Salmonella reaches and persists in peripheral lymph nodes, and which biological and management factors are most relevant for mitigation. Using controlled models and field-aligned evaluations, the work will examine plausible routes of exposure and the durability of infection so that practical pre-harvest actions can be timed and targeted more effectively. This includes attention to early-life and production-stage dynamics that can influence downstream risk, while maintaining a focus on broadly applicable insights rather than facility-specific prescriptions. Finally, the project will evaluate scalable pre-harvest approaches—such as intervention strategies and feed-based management—under standardized protocols to gauge feasibility and impact across varied conditions, then translate findings into clear recommendations for suppliers and processors. Deliverables will include general guidance aligned with observed patterns by cattle type, season, and region; templates to support surveillance and procurement decisions; and communication materials for stakeholders to facilitate adoption, continuous monitoring, and iterative improvement of risk controls in the supply chain.
Approach:
Conduct multi-season sampling of peripheral lymph nodes and feces across representative production contexts; perform culture-based detection, serotyping, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing to inform risk-aware guidance. Use controlled models to examine routes of node infection and persistence timelines, and assess factors relevant to dairy and feedlot systems (including early-life transmission scenarios) to refine mitigation strategies. Pilot pre-harvest commercial intervention regimens and feed-based approaches under standardized protocols to gauge feasibility and impact on node carriage and fecal shedding across varied conditions. Develop risk-aware recommendations that align procurement and slaughter operations with observed patterns by cattle type, season, and region, supporting surveillance and ground-beef safety goals.