Combating the persistence of Salmonella infections in laying hens: nutritional, managemental and vaccination strategies

Abstract

SUMMARY Salmonellosis continue to be a major problem for the United States poultry industry. Salmonella outbreaks have been linked to commercial farms and backyard flocks in multiple states over the last five years. New serotypes, antimicrobial resistance, and the ability to persist without causing clinical symptoms and flourish when favourable conditions arise are major challenges to control Salmonella. Furthermore, environmental and management conditions and changes in diet can make hens more susceptible to Salmonella infections. Once laying hens acquire Salmonella, it can persist throughout the course of their production. A multifaceted strategy like effective rodent control, Salmonella free facility, appropriate cleaning and sanitising and vaccinations are crucial to control Salmonella infections. The adoption of good hygiene practices and hazard analysis and critical control points also have a significant role in controlling Salmonella at any production level. The use of vaccines has also shown to be effective in controlling Salmonella infection in laying hens. In addition, various nutritional strategies like probiotics, prebiotics and symbiotics are now available to control Salmonella infections. Modulation of gut microbiome could reduce the colonisation of Salmonella in hens. Recent studies have been focused on understanding the effect of intervention strategies on hens’ microbiome and identifying the role of microbiome in preventing Salmonella infections. This review provides an overview on current challenges in controlling Salmonella, interventions that are commonly used to control this infection, as well as the role of microbiome in Salmonella infections.