In ovo Gentamicin and Mucosal Starter Culture to Control Salmonella in Broiler Production

Abstract

Salmonella continues to be the primary bacterial food safety focus of the U.S. poultry industry. HACCP regulations allow no more than 23% of processed broilers to be positive for Salmonella, and this level may be reduced in the future. To be consistently below these levels of Salmonella, it is important to control the introduction and proliferation of Salmonella on the farm. One of the most effective methods for controlling Salmonella is to treat young chicks with competitive exclusion (CE) cultures. The literature suggests that in ovo administration of gentamicin and other antibiotics may reduce the effectiveness of CE. The current study demonstrates conclusively that gentamicin, at a commercial rate of 0.4 mg per egg administered in ovo on Day 18, had no adverse effect on the CE product MSC® (Mucosal Starter Culture). There also appeared to be a cumulative beneficial effect of the gentamicin and the MSC on reduction of Salmonella, which enters the chick on the day of hatch.