Peru: Is Salmonella linked to poultry production?

Researchers at the USDA in combination with scientists from Idivet, Peru, have shown evidence that Salmonella infantis can be found both in farms, processing plants as well as in isolates from clinical cases.

Roxana Sanchez-Ingunza, USDA, spoke at the International Production and Processing Expo in Atlanta, GA, United States about her team’s research to Salmonella infantis infections in and around Lima, Peru.

Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Infantis was indicated as the third most frequently isolated serotype from human cases of salmonellosis in Peru, she said. During 2010, a characterisation study of Salmonella Infantis in Lima, Peru, showed the presence of similar PFGE patterns and antibiotic sensitivity in isolates from five clinical cases in humans and two from poultry meat, suggesting the possibility of the disease being transmitted to humans via poultry products.

The study she presented was conducted to identify the Salmonella serotypes most commonly detected in poultry and poultry products for local consumption in Lima. The Salmonella strains evaluated were isolated in 2010 and 2011 from chicken carcasses, feed, and poultry houses corresponding to 40 farms located around Lima.

The high frequency of Salmonella Infantis isolated from poultry farms to the processing plant, and during the same time frame when this serotype was detected in cases of human salmonellosis in Lima-Peru supported the relevance of poultry product contamination in the epidemiology of the disease.

The researchers state that further studies are required to establish the factors associated with the transmission of Salmonella Infantis from poultry products that resulted in clinical manifestation of salmonellosis in humans to confirm the association suggested in this study.

The International Poultry Scientific Forum is held in conjunction with the IPPE 2013 in Atlanta, GA.