Practical Preventive Considerations for Reducing the Public Health Burden of Poultry-Related Salmonellosis

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Aug 25;20(17):6654. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20176654.

Abstract

With poultry products as one of the leading reservoirs for the pathogen, in a typical year in the United States, it is estimated that over one million individuals contract non-typhoidal Salmonella infections. Foodborne outbreaks associated with Salmonella infections in poultry, thus, continue to remain a significant risk to public health. Moreover, the further emergence of antimicrobial resistance among various serovars of Salmonella is an additional public health concern. Feeding-based strategies (such as use of prebiotics, probiotics, and/or phytobiotics as well as essential oils), non-feeding-based strategies (such as use of bacteriophages, vaccinations, and in ovo strategies), omics tools and surveillance for identifying antibiotic-resistance genes, post-harvest application of antimicrobials, and biosecurity measures at poultry facilities are practical interventions that could reduce the public health burden of salmonellosis and antibiotic resistance associated with poultry products. With the escalating consumption of poultry products around the globe, the fate, prevalence, and transmission of Salmonella in agricultural settings and various poultry-processing facilities are major public health challenges demanding integrated control measures throughout the food chain. Implementation of practical preventive measures discussed in the current study could appreciably reduce the public health burden of foodborne salmonellosis associated with poultry products.

Keywords: Salmonella serovars; antimicrobial resistance; food chain; poultry.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Humans
  • Poultry
  • Poultry Products
  • Public Health
  • Salmonella Food Poisoning* / epidemiology
  • Salmonella Food Poisoning* / prevention & control
  • Salmonella Infections*

Grants and funding

Financial support provided, in part, by the Public Health Microbiology FoundationSM in Nashville, Tennessee, and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (2023-70020-40768) are sincerely appreciated by the study authors. This publication is additionally supported by a publication scholarship of a graduate course of the Public Health Microbiology Laboratory of Tennessee State University (AGSC 5540 Food Policies and Regulations; Fall 2022).