RESISTANCE OF CHICKS AND POULTS FED VERMICOMPOST TO CECAL COLONIZATION BY SALMONELLA

Vermicompost (VC) was produced by feeding the earthworm Eisenia foetid a vegetable matter and fresh faeces from adult specific pathogen-free chickens. This was used as a competitive exclusion treatment for chick s and poults against challenge with Salmonella spp. One-day-old chicks and poults housed in floor pens, were treated with VC sprinkled on fe ed on days 1 and 2. For studies with Salmonella typhimurium, chicks we re challenged on day 5 by either oral inoculation with 10(4) colony-fo rming units (CFU) or by contact transmission and killed 7 to 9 days la ter. In four trials, conducted on a total of 412 VC-treated and 275 co ntrol chicks, and in one trial with about 40 poults per group, treatme nt with VC significantly reduced (P<0.01) caecal colonization by S. ty phimurium.For experiments with Salmonella enteritidis, chicks were cha llenged orally with 10(5) CFU and kept in isolators on wire floors. Th ey were also significantly protected (P<0.01) against caecal colonizat ion by VC-treatment. In addition, in one trial S. enteriditis was isol ated by enrichment techniques from the livers of nine of 10 non-treate d and one of 39 VC-treated chicks.