Bacteriophage Cocktails to Reduce Salmonella Contamination in Poultry
Salmonella contamination is a pressing problem in poultry farms, with devastating consequences for both the animals and the food products.
However, this research aims to solve this problem by using phages or viruses that specifically infect bacterial cells.
In the study, the authors isolated Salmonella phages from chicken feces and characterized their properties. They then made a cocktail of these phages and tested its effectiveness in reducing Salmonella contamination in various agricultural environments, such as drinking water and surfaces.
The results showed that this phage cocktail was effective in reducing Salmonella levels. This novel approach is a promising solution to the problem of Salmonella contamination in poultry farms. Further research is needed to adapt this technique for practical use in industry.
The authors Sefika Evran, Emine Kubra Tayyarcan, Esra Acar-Soykut, and Ismail Hakki Boyaci published these findings in the article Applications of Bacteriophage Cocktails to Reduce Salmonella Contamination in Poultry Farms, dated 13 November 2021.
Abstract
Salmonella contamination is a critical problem in poultry farms, with serious consequences for both animals and food products.
The aim of this study is to investigate the use of phage cocktails to reduce Salmonella contamination in poultry farms.
Within the scope of the study, Salmonella phages were isolated from chicken stool. After the host range of phages was determined, morphological characterization was performed through transmission electron microscopy analysis. Then, replication parameters and adsorption rates were determined by one-step growth curves. After that, phage cocktail was prepared, and its effectiveness was tested in three environments, which were drinking water, shavings, and plastic surfaces.
The results obtained have demonstrated that the phage cocktail can reduce Salmonella count up to 2.80 log10 units in drinking water, up to 2.30 log10 units on shavings, and 2.31 log10 units on plastic surfaces.
It has been determined that phage cocktails could be a successful alternative in reducing Salmonella contamination in poultry environment.
This work is the first study to investigate the use of phage cocktails for reducing Salmonella contamination in poultry water and on shavings, and it is presumed that the results obtained will contribute to the fight against pathogens by making them applicable to poultry farms.
Keywords: Bacteriophage; Biocontrol; Disinfection; Microbial contamination; Salmonella.
© 2021. The Authors, under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
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