RESEARCH NOTE - PRESENCE AND IMPACT OF SALMONELLA CONTAMINATION IN COMMERCIAL BROILER HATCHERIES

Egg fragments from hatching trays, swabs of belting material, and paper pads from three broiler hatcheries were sampled for the presence and level of salmonellae. Salmonella serotypes were recovered from 71, 80, and 74% of the egg fragments, belting material, and paper pads, respectively. Overall, salmonellae were found in 75, 91, and 67% of the samples taken at Hatchery 1,2, and 3, respectively. Thirty-eight of 40 randomly selected samples contained greater than 10(3) salmonellae cells per sample. All of the Salmonella serotypes encountered in the present study had previously been isolated from poultry. The presence and persistence of salmonellae contamination in the hatchery suggests that the vulnerable day-of-hatch chick may be at a greater colonization risk in the hatchery than during grow-out. Contamination and penetration of the shell of hatching eggs may constitute the most important link (or critical control point) in the transmission of salmonellae to young birds and eventually the consumer. An effective intervention method may have to be employed at this point to break the transmission link and significantly impact the overall problem of Salmonella colonization in poultry.