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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Athens, Georgia » U.S. National Poultry Research Center » Egg and Poultry Production Safety Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #391905
Research Project: Reducing Pathogen Contamination Risks and Improving Quality Attributes of Eggs and Egg Products through Housing System Management and Egg Handling Practices

Location: Egg and Poultry Production Safety Research Unit

Title: Arising From: “Global spread of Salmonella Enteritidis via centralized sourcing and international trade of poultry breeding stocks” (Nature Communications 12:5109, 2021)

Author
item JOHNSON, TIMOTHY - University Of Minnesota
item Gast, Richard
item Guard, Jean
item ROSALES, A - Consultant
item WILSON, DANIEL - Consultant

Submitted to: Nature Communications
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/12/2022
Publication Date: 3/3/2022
Citation: Johnson, T., Gast, R.K., Guard, J.Y., Rosales, A.G., Wilson, D. 2022. Arising From: “Global spread of Salmonella Enteritidis via centralized sourcing and international trade of poultry breeding stocks” Li, S., He, Y., Mann, D.A. et al. Global spread of Salmonella Enteritidis via centralized sourcing and international trade of poultry breeding stocks. Nat Commun 12, 5109 (2021).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25319-7

Interpretive Summary: A letter to the editor of Nature Communications: A recent publication in this journal concluded that genetic similarities between isolates of Salmonella Enteritidis from poultry and human sources demonstrated that the international distribution of breeding stock for egg-laying chickens was responsible for an increase in egg-transmitted human illnesses. As veterinarians and microbiologists who contribute to the scientific foundation of the National Poultry Improvement Plan, we believe that this paper does not provide sufficient evidence to support its major conclusions.

Technical Abstract: A letter to the editors: A publication in Nature Communications by Li et al. (Li et al., 2021) postulates that observed genetic relatedness among international Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) isolates from poultry is attributable to the dissemination of infected breeding stock, and that it was the fundamental cause of epidemic human illness from consuming contaminated eggs. As veterinarians and microbiologists who have contributed to the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP), the principal US program for preventing distribution of SE from poultry breeding stock, we believe this paper does not sustain its principal conclusion through evidence.