Impact of Heat Stress on the Fecal Shedding Patterns of Salmonella enterica Typhimurium DT104 and Salmonella enterica Infantis by 5-Week-Old Male Broilers

The objective of this study was to determine if there is an impact of heat stress of broiler chickens on number and survival of two types of Salmonella shed in the chicken's feces after an oral challenge. The data from this study indicate that heat stress did not result in higher levels or longer survival of Salmonella spp. shed in feces. It is possible that the duration or intensity of the heat stress employed was not sufficient or that heat stress does not alter the number or survivability for these particular strains of Salmonella spp. Feces stored at room temperature after collection, resulted in the numbers of both strains of Salmonella increasing by one to three logs in the first week. This finding indicates that there could be an increase in environmental contamination under certain conditions.