Skip to main content
Download PDF
  • Published:

An Epidemic of Salmonella Infantis Infection in Finnish Broiler Chickens in 1975–76

Salmonella infantis epidemin hos finska broilers år 1975–76

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 19, pages 317–330 (1978)Cite this article

Abstract

A large S. infantis infection epidemic in broiler chickens was studied during a period of one year. The outbreak affected three broiler producing companies in Finland. The infection spread to breeding farms according to available data during the summer of 1975. The epidemic still prevailed at the end of the studies on the farms of certain companies.

The origin of the infection and the means of its spreading could not be ascertained. Some epidemiological evidence suggesting that a hatchery might have spread the infection was found. Contaminated feed may also have been involved, although the findings do not support feed as the principal vehicle in the epidemic. A complex pattern of transmission is most probable.

A microbiological preventive method based on the feeding of a culture of intestinal flora of adult chickens to newly hatched broiler chickens was used on many farms in the study. The feeding of the culture lowered the proportion of infected flocks on the farms and significantly lowered the number of infected birds in those flocks, where the prevention was not complete. kw|Keywords|k]Salmonella infantis; k]infection; k]epidemic; k]broiler chicken

Sammendrag

I artikeln beskrivs en omfattande epidemi hos broilers förorsakad av S. infantis. Tre av fem broilerproducerande företag i Finland drabbades. Infektionen spreds på kort tid sommaren 1975 till varje företags uppfödare. Ursprunget till infektionen och spridningssattet kunde inte klarläggas. Vissa epidemiologiska fakta pekade pä en kläckningsanstalt som en eventuell spridare av sjukdomen. En foder-kontamination kan ocksä ha förekommit fastän resultaten i detta ar-bete inte i högre grad stöder möjligheten att fodret skulle ha varit den huvudsakliga smittoförmedlaren i denna epidemi.

En mikrobiologisk preventiv metod, baserad på anvandandet av en kultur från tarmfloran av fullvuxna broilers, tillämpades av många uppfödare. Följande sammanfattning kunde göras på basen av behand-lingens resultat: en sänkning av antalet infektiösa grupper hos upp-födarna samt en signifikant sänkning av infektionsnivån hos S. infantis positiva grupper kunde konstateras.

References

  • Broilerisalmonelloosityoryhma: Komiteanmietintb. (Report of the official working group on broiler salmonellosis). No. B 49, Val- tion painatuskeskus, Helsinki 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd, A. B., B. B. Cumming & B. D. Kent: Prevention of Salmonella typhimurium infection in poultry by pretreatment of chickens and poults with intestinal extracts. Aust. vet. J. 1977, 53, 82–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nordic Committee on Food Analysis: Determination of the number of sulphitereducing Clostridia in foods. Method no. 56, Teknisk Forlags Trykkeri, Copenhagen 1965.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nordic Committee on Food Analysis: Salmonella bacteria. Detection in foods. Method no. 71, Teknisk Forlags Trykkeri, Copenhagen 1969.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nurmi, E. & M. Rantala: New aspects of Salmonella infection in broiler production. Nature (Lond.) 1973, 241, 210–211.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nurmi, E., E. Seuna & M. Raevuori: Prevention of salmonellosis in broiler chickens by the flora of the alimentary tract of chickens. Rep. 2nd Gongr. Int. Soc. Animal Hygiene, Zagreb 1976, 389–394.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rantala, M.: Cultivation of a bacterial flora able to prevent the colonization of Salmonella infantis in the intestines of broiler chickens and its use. Acta path, microbio-1, scand. Sect. B, 1974, 82, 75–80.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rantala, M. & E. Nurmi: Prevention of the growth of Salmonella infantis in chicks by the flora of the alimentary tract of chickens. Brit. Poultry Sci. 1973, 14, 627–630.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seuna, E., M. Raevuori & E. Nurmi: An epizootic of Salmonella typhi- murium var. Copenhagen in broilers and the use of cultured chicken intestinal flora for its control. Brit. Poultry Sci. 1978, 19, 309–314.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Snoeyenbos, G. H., V. L. Carlson, C. F. Smyser & O. M. Olesiuk: Dynamics of Salmonella infection in chicks reared on litter. Avian Dis. 1969, 13, 72–83.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vasenins, H. & M. Jahkola: Contaminated soya fodder as a source of Salmonella infantis epidemics in Finland. Rep. 2nd Congr. Int. Soc. Animal Hygiene, Zagreb 1976, 385–388.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Veterinary Medical Institute, P. O. Box 368, 00 101, Helsinki 10, Finland

    M. Raevuori, E. Seuna & E. Nurmi

Authors
  1. M. Raevuori
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. E. Seuna
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. E. Nurmi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Raevuori, M., Seuna, E. & Nurmi, E. An Epidemic of Salmonella Infantis Infection in Finnish Broiler Chickens in 1975–76. Acta Vet Scand 19, 317–330 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03547602

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03547602

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

ISSN: 1751-0147