Dominant Salmonella Serovars in Australian Broiler Breeder Flocks and Hatcheries: a Longitudinal Study

A longitudinal study was conducted to determine the dominance and prevalence of Salmonella enterica subsp in Australian broiler breeder flocks and hatcheries. Twenty-two flocks (n = 3339 samples) were sampled over 6 time points beginning at placement until week 40. Hatcheries (n = 274 samples) were sampled following removal of chicks hatched from eggs originating from the 22 donor parent flocks. The percent of positive flocks (36%) and frequency of positive samples (15.6%) were highest during rearing at week 7. The frequency of positive samples decreased over the 40 weeks; however, the number of positive flocks remained relatively consistent. Geographical location had a greater influence on Salmonella detection frequency than company sample origin, despite differing management and vaccination protocols within and between companies. Twelve serovars were detected in total. The predominant serovars during rearing were Salmonella Mbandaka (32%), S. Saintpaul (27%), and S. Liverpool (18%). The predominant serovars detected during production were S. Cubana (27%), S. Saintpaul (24%), and S. Havana (13%). Salmonella Typhimurium, S. Ohio, and S. Hessarek were detected in the hatcheries. Of the serovars detected, only S. Typhimurium and S. Ohio were found in both broiler breeder flocks and hatcheries. However, detection did not correspond to the status of the flock eggs feeding into the hatchery. This study provides an up-to-date capture of the current Salmonella serovars circulating in the broiler breeder industry. Continued surveillance within the Australian Chicken Meat industry is imperative to mitigate and reduce the risk of salmonellosis in the community related to chicken meat. IMPORTANCE This study identified prevalent and dominant Salmonella enterica subsp in Australian Broiler Breeder flocks, as well as in hatcheries post chick hatch and removal, from eggs originating from these donor parent flocks. The captured Salmonella data was further compared to the most common Salmonella serovars isolated from broilers, as well as human salmonellosis notification data, which is useful for consideration of the circulating serovars within the chicken meat industry and their significance in public health. As there are multiple entry points for Salmonella during the entire chicken meat production chain that can lead to carcass contamination, it is important to distinguish serovars present between the different stages of vertical integration to implement and enable Salmonella control strategies.