USAHA News
United States Animal Health Association
Contact:  Larry Mark - (703) 451-3954 - ldmark@erols.com

For immediate release:

EGG QUALITY PROGRAM HELPS CONTROL SALMONELLA ENTERITIDIS

	MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. Oct. 16, 2006 -- A report on the Pennsylvania Egg Quality 
Assurance Program presented at the meeting of the U.S. Animal Health Association (USAHA) 
Committee on Salmonella here this week indicated that this program has been highly successful 
in controlling Salmonella enteritidis (SE) in table egg laying hens.

	Since the program was initiated as a pilot 10 years ago, there has been a significant 
decline in the number of flocks positive for SE and hence in the number of SE-positive eggs 
produced in Pennsylvania.  For instance, SE-positive flocks have declined from 38 percent in 1972 
to 7 percent in 2005 and the percentage of SE-positive swabs declined from 23 percent to less than 
1 percent over that same time frame.

        A report from the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) on the U.S. situation with regard 
to Salmonella pullorum indicated that infection was detected in only one flock in 2006, compared 
with two in 2005.

	A report from the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) of USDA’s Animal and 
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Salmonella serotypes in the United States showed that 
a total of 268 serotypes were identified from isolates recovered from animals, the environment or 
feed in 41 states and the District of Columbia.  The ten most common serotypes accounted for 61 
percent of the total isolates reported.  

	The report indicated that Salmonella typhimurium was again the most frequently identified 
serotype from all sources.  This past year, Salmonella enteritidis was identified more frequently 
than any year since 2000, with 45 percent of the isolates being of chicken origin.  It was the most 
frequently identified serotype from clinical chicken cases and fifth most common serotype from 
chicken monitor samples.  Nineteen different phage types were identified among the 271 S. 
enteritidis isolates that were phage typed, with the most frequently identified being type 8 (45 percent ), 
type 13 (30 percent) and type 22 (5 percent).  

	A report from the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) indicated 
that the development of antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella also appears to be serotype dependent 
and, for the most part, is affected by the clinical status of the animal species from which it is recovered.  
In general, resistance to more antimicrobials was seen in isolates from diagnostic sources, with less 
resistance for the same serotype obtained from a healthy source -- that is, at slaughter or on-farm.

        S. enteritidis exhibited the least resistance among the serotypes shown and, in general, among 
all serotypes.  Multiple antimicrobial resistance was observed more often for serotypes S. typhimurium, 
S. typhimurium var. 5-, S. Heidelberg and S. Newport with S. Newport exhibiting the most resistance.  
Resistance most often occurred to the drugs that have been in use the longest, such as 
sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline and streptomycin.
        
        Testing by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) at slaughter and processing plants 
has shown declines in Salmonella contamination of ground beef since 1998.  However, as a result of a 
sustained increase of broiler carcasses testing positive for Salmonella from 2002 to 2005, FSIS has 
launched an initiative to reduce Salmonella in raw meat and poultry products.
        
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