Fowl typhoid: assessment of a disinfectant oral dose to reduce horizontal spread and mortality.

To determine the most appropriate dose in drinking water of the disinfectant N-alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (TIMSEN), a fowl typhoid challenge trial was carried out using 21-day-old Salmonella-free chickens. In a pretrial, performed with six groups of 10 chickens each, it was shown that the disinfectant was atoxic and safe when administered during 15 days at doses of 0 ppm, 200 ppm, 400 ppm, 800 ppm, 1600 ppm, or 3200 ppm. Thereafter, a challenge trial was performed with 390 chickens divided into six groups of 65 birds each. Chickens were treated during 9 days with oral doses of 0 ppm, 25 ppm, 50 ppm, 100 ppm, 250 ppm, and 500 ppm (groups identified as A, B, C, D, E, and F, respectively). Twenty-four hours after the beginning of the treatment, 30 chickens of each group were orally inoculated with 10(9) colony-forming units of Salmonella Gallinarum strain INTA 91 per bird. The remaining 35 unchallenged chickens from each group were left in the same cage in close contact with the other challenged birds of their group. All surviving chickens were sacrificed 8 days after challenge. Livers from all birds were examined for the presence of Salmonella Gallinarum. Salmonella Gallinarum was isolated from all challenged chickens and from some unchallenged chickens of groups A (4/35), E (3/35), and F (6/35), but not from any unchallenged chicken from groups B, C, and D. Doses of 50 ppm (group C) significantly reduced mortality (30%) in comparison with the untreated control group A (65%). Mortality in group B (45%) was not significantly different from group C. Administration of higher doses of the disinfectant resulted in significantly higher mortality rates, 70% in group E and 85% in groups D and F. Increased infection and mortality rates of groups D, E, and F might have been caused by inhibition of the protective action of the normal gut flora. To reduce horizontal infection and mortality, the manufacturer's prescribed oral dose of 25 ppm may be increased up to 50 ppm. Nevertheless, higher doses should be avoided because they may cause horizontal increased spread of the disease and mortality.

Growth of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella Enteritidis during Preparation and Storage of Yogurt.

The purpose of this study was to determine the viability of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Salmonella Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) during preparation and refrigerated storage of yogurt. Three yogurts were prepared using pasteurized commercial milk. Each yogurt was artificially contaminated with (1) MAP, (2) E. coli + S. Enteritidis, and (3) MAP + E. coli + S. Enteritidis. Samples were taken during and after the fermentation process until day 20 after inoculation. MAP was not detected during their preparation and short-term storage but was recuperated after starting at 180 min after inoculation storage. Live bacterial counts of E. coli, and S. Enteritidis increased during the first 24 hours, followed by a slight decrease towards the end of the study. In this study it was shown how MAP, E. coli, and S. Enteritidis resisted the acidic conditions generated during the preparation of yogurt and low storage temperatures. This work contributes to current knowledge regarding survival of MAP, E. coli, and S. Enteritidis during preparation and refrigerated storage of yogurt and emphasizes the need to improve hygiene measures to ensure the absence of these pathogenic microorganisms in dairy products.