Risk Factors for Salmonella Detection in Commercial Layer Flocks in Spain
Investigation article published in Animals
October 12nd, 2023
Foodborne salmonellosis remains one of the top zoonotic diseases affecting public health worldwide, and its incidence has remained stable in the last years in the European Union (EU) triggering questions on the usefulness of currently available measures to prevent its occurrence. A main focus of Salmonella national control programs is monitoring the presence of the bacteria in animal reservoirs, especially in poultry, and for this reason, thousands of samples are collected every year in poultry farms in EU countries, but the importance of certain factors in the probability of detecting Salmonella remains poorly understood. A thorough analysis conducted on data collected in all laying hen flocks sampled in Spain in 2015–2020 revealed that even though the presence of Salmonella was rare (<3.5% of positive sampling events), when samples were collected in certain months (fall–winter) and housing systems (caged flocks) and by competent authorities (as opposed to food business operators), the probability of detecting Salmonella increased significantly. These results demonstrate that the sensitivity of the sampling strategy may be influenced by how and when samples are collected and that certain flocks may be at an increased risk of infection
Samper-Cativiela C., Prieto M., Collado S., De Frutos C., Branscum AJ., Saez-Llorente JL. and Alvarez J..
 | Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
 | Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (MAPA). |
 | Biostatistics Program. Oregon State University (OSU). |
| Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
