Le. Carr et al., PREVALENCE OF SALMONELLA IN BROILER FLOCKS - EFFECT OF LITTER WATER ACTIVITY, HOUSE CONSTRUCTION, AND WATERING DEVICES, Avian diseases, 39(1), 1995, pp. 39-44
Litter samples from 24 flocks of broilers and four flocks of broiler b
reeders were evaluated for Salmonella contamination, water activity (A
w), and total moisture content (MC). The drag swab (DS) monitoring sys
tem was used to collect samples to detect Salmanella contamination. Si
multaneously, representative samples of the uppermost surfaces of dry
(loose) litter and wet (caked) litter were collected for Aw and MC ana
lyses. On dry litter surfaces, high Aw values (0.90-0.95) were associa
ted with flocks Salmonella-positive using DS; low Aw values (0.79-0.84
) were associated with Becks Salmonella-negative by DS; and transition
Aw values (0.85-0.89) were associated with Becks having an increased
risk for the presence of Salmonella. The association of high Aw values
with Salmonella risk was not observed for wet (caked) litter surfaces
. Observations suggest that limiting Aw in the litter base of broiler
houses may create a less favorable environment for the multiplication
of Salmonella and thus a more hygienic environment for broiler product
ion.