A recent study of British commercial hatcheries has demonstrated the efficacy of disseminating and executing tailored advice on preventive controls for Salmonella. The results also provide insight into the prevalence and diversity of Salmonella found in commercial hatcheries, as well as the difficulty of eradicating the pathogen from a facility.
The presence of Salmonella in commercial hatcheries is of particular concern due to the increasing risk of the pathogen’s dissemination throughout the poultry production chain once it arises in a hatchery. Preventive controls at the hatching stage of the poultry production process—such as robust biosecurity, cleaning, and disinfection programs—may reduce the risk of microbiological contamination of poultry products purchased by consumers. Additionally, the ability of certain Salmonella strains to transfer from breeding flock to offspring, as well as the pathogen’s pathways of contamination in hatcheries, are not well understood, which has slowed the implementation of effective controls.