2-STEP MUCOSAL COMPETITIVE-EXCLUSION FLORA TREATMENT TO DIMINISH SALMONELLAE IN COMMERCIAL BROILER-CHICKENS

There is a need to control the intestinal colonization of broiler chic kens by salmonellae in order to reduce the contamination of poultry pr oducts. A two-step treatment of broiler chicks with a mucosal competit ive exclusion culture (MCE) was tested, in which the MCE was first spr ayed on chicks in the hatchery followed by administration in the first drinking water. Three commercial flocks were treated and compared wit h parallel, untreated control flocks. Customary husbandry practices we re employed. Environmental, hatchery, skin with feathers, and cecal sa mples were analyzed at 3 and 7 wk for the presence of salmonellae. Car cass rinse samples of fully processed birds were analyzed similarly. T he results indicated that initial feed, water, and litter contaminatio n was at a low frequency (< 10%). Eggshell fragments and chick paper p ads were frequently contaminated (> 50%). After 3 wk growth, contamina tion of litter, skin with feathers, and ceca were significantly (P <.0 5) reduced in treated flocks as compared with control flocks. Salmonel lae prevalence in ceca and in processed carcass rinses was also signif icantly (P < .05) reduced from 41% in control flocks to 10% in treated flocks. The study showed that treatment of chickens in a commercial s etting with MCE cultures can serve as a useful means to reduce salmone llae contamination.