Recovery of Salmonella from alternative anatomical sites after an oral challenge with three different Salmonella serotypes in turkeys

Authors: Byrd Ii, James; FAUST, S. - Texas A&M University; Caldwell, Denise; Swaggerty, Christina; Genovese, Kenneth; Kogut, Michael; CARLSON, A.V. - Cargill, Incorporated; Johnson, Casey; Poole, Toni; NORMAN, K.N. - Texas A&M University

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/6/2025
Publication Date: 6/6/2025
Citation: Byrd II, J.A., Faust, S., Caldwell, D.Y., Swaggerty, C.L., Genovese, K.J., Kogut, M.H., Carlson, A., Johnson, C.N., Poole, T.L., Norman, K. 2025. Recovery of Salmonella from alternative anatomical sites after an oral challenge with three different Salmonella serotypes in turkeys. Poultry Science. 104(9). Article 105406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2025.105406.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2025.105406

Interpretive Summary: The cecum is a pouch-like structure located at the junction of the small and large intestine in the digestive system of chickens and other poultry. Its primary function is to facilitate the fermentation of undigested materials, mainly fibrous content, by housing beneficial microorganisms. The cecum is known as the "gold standard" for detecting the food positioning bacteria, Salmonella, in poultry because it has the largest concentration of Salmonella. The current study looked at different anatomical sites for Salmonella in turkeys before they go to slaughter. In this study, 36 day-old turkeys were orally given three different types of Salmonella, called serotypes. The birds were sampled at intervals after they were given the Salmonella. Salmonella was found at higher numbers in samples taken from the cloaca (similar to the rectum area in humans), crop, feathers around the cloaca, and on the feet as compared to the cecum. Two of the Salmonella serotypes (Reading and Infantis) were found at higher levels in the cloaca and the feathers around the cloaca when compared to the cecum. The other Salmonella serotype (Heidelberg) was found at higher levels in the joints and in the bone marrow than in the cecum. The study results show that Salmonella can spread throughout the body of turkeys without showing signs of disease and can be recovered at higher rates at anatomical locations other than the cecum. In addition, this work established that different Salmonella serotypes can travel to different parts of the body in turkeys and that all Salmonella serotypes do not react the same way in the bird.

Technical Abstract: The poultry cecum is considered the "gold standard" for detecting Salmonella in poultry because it has the largest concentration of Salmonella in the bird. The current study investigated alternative anatomical sampling locations for detecting Salmonella in preharvest turkeys. In this study, 36-day-old turkeys were challenged with a cocktail of Salmonella Heidelberg, S. Reading, and S. Infantis by oral gavage (N=78). The birds were sampled on Day 0-, 6-, 9- and 12-days post-challenge. Across all serotypes, total Salmonella recovery from the different anatomical locations was significantly higher in samples taken from the cloaca, crop, vent feathers, and foot pad samples when compared to the cecal samples (P<0.05). Similarly, Salmonella results for individual serotypes demonstrated a higher recovery of S. Reading and S. Infantis within the cloaca, and vent feathers samples compared to the ceca. Salmonella Heidelberg recovery was significantly higher in the joints, and bone marrow when compared to the cecal samples. Study results demonstrate that Salmonella can spread systemically in turkeys without demonstrated morbidity and can be recovered at other anatomical locations at higher rates than found in ceca. In addition, Salmonella serotypes translocated differently within the bird and can be recovered at different anatomical locations.