Salmonella recovery from chicken bone marrow and cecal counts differ by pathogen challenge method.

Mechanically separated chicken (MSC) may be incorporated into other further processed foods, and has been identified as a transmission vehicle in human foodborne disease outbreaks involving the pathogen Salmonella enterica. Chickens possess pneumatic bones producing marrow, which may become infected with Salmonella and present a mechanism for Salmonella contamination of MSC. The primary objective of the current study was to ascertain whether chicken bone marrow was susceptible to Salmonella infection as a function of pathogen challenge method.