Sources and movement of Salmonella through integrated poultry operations: A multistate epidemiological investigation

The prevalence of Salmonella from numerous sources in 32 integrated broiler operations of high- and low-performing broiler houses was characterized fr om four states across four seasons. Previous studies of Salmonella in broil ers have been limited in scope, offering only a snapshot of pathogen preval ence as seen on a small number of individual farms. Twenty-six different sa mple types were collected from the hatchery to the end of processing, and S almonella was found in all sample types. A total of 10,740 samples were ana lyzed for Salmonella, and 973 (9.1%) of these samples, including 49 of 798 (6.1%) carcass rinse samples, were Salmonella positive. Hatchery transport pads (389 of 765, 50.8%), flies (28 of 150, 18.7%), drag swabs (57 of 402, 14.2%), and boot swabs (20 of 167, 12%) were samples from which Salmonella was most frequently isolated. Thirty-six different serotypes were identifie d, and the most frequently encountered serotypes were Salmonella Senftenber g, Salmonella Thompson, and Salmonella Montevideo. Determining critical con taminating sources and following the movement of Salmonella through integra ted poultry operations will help researchers and the industry develop pract ical intervention strategies.