Application of Protective Cultures in the Control of Salmonella Enteritidis in Poultry

<p>NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Salmonella enterica, responsible for non-typhoidal salmonellosis, is a significant public health concern worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are approximately 1.2 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations, and 450 deaths attributable to foodborne Salmonellosis each year in the United States. Chickens serve as natural hosts for S. Enteritidis, with meat and shell eggs being the most commonly implicated vehicles in outbreaks. The increased incidence of antibiotic resistant Salmonella serovars has necessitated the search for alternatives to control Salmonella carriage in chicken. Nutritional strategies to control Salmonella in chicken include the use of direct fed microbials (DFM) or the use of competitive exclusion cultures (CE) that usually contain mixed cecal cultures. However, the practical application of these products is plagued by the lack of verification of their bacterial compositions and proof of consistent efficacy. An alternative approach to the use of undefined or partially defined cultures in CE, would be the use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) carefully selected and characterized for their antimicrobial potential. Therefore, the goal of this study is to develop well characterized and scientifically validated CE cultures for use in the control of Salmonella in chicken. In addition, this study would use next generation high throughput sequencing to understand the molecular interactions between LAB isolates and Salmonella. </p>