Poultry Salmonella infection

Furazolidone has been used for treatment of Salmonella infections in most farm animals. It has been also used as a feed additive for growth-promoting purposes. For poultry it was given in the feed at a level of 0.04% for 10 days, and in large animals at an oral dosage of 10-12 mg/kg bw for 5-7 days. 

As antibiotics at subtherapeutic levels are banned in many countries, the addition of prebiotics to animal feed is becomes increasingly attractive. This is more to improve the well being of the animal nutritionally rather than improve or sustain a healthy microflora. Withdrawal of antibiotics from feed may leave livestock more susceptible to enteric infections. Pigs, calves, poultry, and rabbits often suffer from Clostridia-associated infections, whereas broilers are prone to Campylobacter and Salmonella infections, pigs are also at risk from pathogenic... 

These measures had some impact on the Salmonella infection rate, but the problem remained, since the causes are multiple and not confined only to contamination of poultry, but also to other foodstuffs, such as clams, vegetables and animal products. 

As already indicated, the main source of Salmonella infection and transmission is by food, the main reservoir being poultry, eggs and egg products (Maki 2009). 

Salmonella infections have increased recently as common gastroenteritis disease. The clinical manifestation are diarrhoea, fever, abdominal cramps, tenesmus, headache, myalgia and occasionally nausea and vomiting. The contamination of foods can affect many people in USA in 1985 contaminated milk caused a disease in 170,000 person and in China in 1991 224,000 people are affected through a contaminated ice cream. The main reservoir of Salmonella are poultry, eggs and egg products. Serological test may be useful for the diagnosis. 

Salmonella bacteria occur naturally in the intestines and waste of poultry, dogs, cats, rats, and other warm-blooded animals. When live salmonella bacteria enter the body, which is usually the result of contaminated food, a salmonella infection occurs. Salmonellosis is the most common bacterial foodbome illness. Salmonella infections can be prevented by cooking food at the proper temperature and cleaning food utensils and preparation areas effectively. There are approximately 40,000 salmonella infections reported to public health ofhcials each year in the United States. Experts believe that between 500,000 and 4,000,000 cases acmally occur that go umeported. It is estimated that 2 of every 1000 cases results in the death of the patient, over 500 annually. Salmonella affects those that are young, those that are older, and those whose body has already been weakened by some other illness. Many of those who contract the illness believe they have the flu and never go to see a doctor. 

The main poultry health problems that may affect safety of poultry products are Salmonella and Campylobacter infections (Ogden et al, 2004a,b see... 

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the USA has estimated that Campylobacter and Salmonella are the top two bacterial foodbome pathogens as they are responsible for a total of 2 and 1.3 million foodbome infections every year (Mead et al., 1999). Most of the cases of infection with Campylobacter and Salmonella appear to be due to eggs and poultry, but a significant number of cases are related to beef products (CDC, 2005 Jay, 2000). EHEC does not cause as many infections as the top two pathogens (approximately 100,000 in the USA), but EHEC is frequently linked to outbreaks of diarrhea caused by the consumption of contaminated ground beef (Mead et al., 1999, Rangel et al., 2005). Infections caused by EHEC are the major microbial public health concern related to ruminant food products. 

Nitrofurans (NFs) are synthetic chemotherapeutic agents effective in the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal infections caused by Escherichia Coli and Salmonella spp. Administered orally, usually as feed additives, they are widely used in treating cows, cattle, pigs, and poultry. 

Kassaify, Z.G. and Mine, Y. (2004) Effect of food protein supplements on Salmonella enteritidis infection and prevention in laying hens. Poultry Science 83, 753-760. 

The leading cause of human food-bome infections associated with consumption of poultry products worldwide is Salmonella (Van Immerseel et al.,... 

Outbreaks in the United Kingdom have been linked to poultry, a variety of meats and meat products, and unpasteurized milk. In addition to acquiring infection from contaminated food, human cases have also occurred where individuals have had contact with infected cattle. A small proportion of infected individuals may have contracted infection from pets such as cats and dogs, which can also be infected with some strains of Salmonella. These pets probably acquire the infection like humans, in other words through consumption of contaminated raw meat, poultry or poultry-derived products. 

Lloyd, A.B., Cumming, R.B., and Kent, R.D. 1977. Prevention of Salmonella typhimurium infection in poultry by pretreatment of chickens and poults with intestinal extracts. Aust. Vet. J. 53, 82-87. 

Salmonella spp. is an infectious bacterium typically found in raw meats, poultry, and seafood, as well as eggs, milk, and dairy products. The infective dose of Salmonella spp. can be as few as 15-20 cells, depending on the size and health of the individual. Diagnosis of an infection is typically done by isolating the bacteria from stool samples [6]. 

Foodborne disease is frequently associated with the consumption of meat or poultry. The most important bacteria are Salmonella spp., which inhabit the intestinal tract of many animals, and contaminate meat after slaughter. A common cause of the problem is cross contamination of raw to cooked meat, which may be caused by the use of the same chopping block or utensils. Poultry is highly susceptible to infection by Salmonella, especially when reared in battery conditions, and poultry which has been incorrectly thawed or undercooked is a major cause of food poisoning incidents. 

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