Modeling Salmonella Spread in Broiler Production: Identifying Determinants and Control Strategies.

Area of Science:

• Food Safety and Veterinary Public Health
• Animal Science and Production
• Microbiology and Epidemiology

Background:

• Salmonella spp. in broiler production poses a significant food safety risk due to potential human transmission through contaminated meat products.
• Pre-slaughter Salmonella detection in litter correlates with increased contamination of broiler carcasses and derived products.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify farm and broiler house characteristics and management practices that are risk factors for Salmonella spp. presence in broiler litter.
• To analyze spatio-temporal influences and specific management factors on Salmonella isolation in a Brazilian integrated broiler enterprise.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a unique longitudinal dataset from a Brazilian integrated broiler enterprise.
• Employed a Bayesian hierarchical spatio-temporal model to analyze Salmonella spp. isolation from drag swabs collected pre-slaughter.
• Assessed the impact of broiler house size, total housing area, house type, and litter recycle frequency.

Main Results:

• Significant spatial and temporal variations in Salmonella spp. isolation were observed.
• Broiler house size, total housing area, house type, and litter recycle frequency were significant risk factors.
• Recycling litter beyond 6 cycles substantially increased Salmonella odds; conventional houses showed higher persistence than controlled environments.

Conclusions:

• Litter management, specifically the number of recycle cycles and broiler house type, are critical for controlling Salmonella.
• Findings suggest a need for improved strategies and incentives to reduce Salmonella prevalence within integrated broiler enterprises.
• Results can inform the development of targeted interventions to mitigate Salmonella persistence in the broiler production chain.