The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine

eorgia Veterinary Scholars Program

GVSP Summer 2007 Scholars

Georgia Veterinary Scholar	Faculty Mentor

Anne Hurley University of Georgia Class of 2010	Dr. Margie Lee

Pilot Study: Management Practice and Salmonella Assessment of Broiler Breeder Farms

Anne L. Hurley*, Margie Lee, John Maurer, Roy Berghaus, Jeanna Wilson
University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases and Department of Population Health, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA

Abstract

In the United States there are an estimated 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths annually that are attributed to foodborne illnesses. During the years between 1993 and 1997 there were 86,058 reported illnesses attributed to foodborne disease with 75% of known causes being of bacterial origin. The largest contributor, causing the most number of outbreaks, deaths and cases was Salmonella serotype Enteritidis. It is estimated that there are 1.4 million cases of salmonellosis annually. The greatest risk factor defined for human salmonellosis is the consumption of undercooked poultry and poultry products. In, 1998, the Pathogen Reduction/Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points program was initiated by The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for slaughter plants. This initiative was met with a reduction in the number of cases of Salmonella from 20% in 1995 to 10.7% from 1998 to 2001. But since 2004 we have seen a rise in the number of contaminated poultry carcasses indicating that control measures must be taken prior to slaughter in order to reduce the Salmonella contamination. In order to accomplish this reduction, controlling various critical control points and risk reduction in the production of food all the way from the farm to consumption must be implemented. In our study, broiler breeder farms were visited and growers were asked a standard set of questions, the housing and management practices were assessed, and samples from within the house were taken. The samples were then processed in the lab for the detection of Salmonella and the answers to the questionnaire were recorded. This pilot study is aimed at identifying current practices that are in use as well as possible critical control points at the broiler breeder level in order to refine a questionnaire and sampling practices for utilization in a larger study. The larger study will cover four states and involve the same process as described above but will include a follow-up visit to each farm to determine if the control points are being addressed and if they had any impact on the Salmonella prevalence.