Research Note: Role of darkling beetles (Alphitobius diaperinus) and litter in spreading and maintaining Salmonella Enteritidis and Campylobacter jejuni in chicken flocks.

Salmonella and Campylobacter are common foodborne pathogens in chickens, but their persistence mechanisms within flocks are not fully understood. In this study, 4 groups of SPF Leghorn chickens (n = 50) were orally inoculated with 10Salmonella Enteritidis and 10Campylobacter jejuni, housed in BSL-2 rooms inside containers with autoclaved bedding and beetles (n = 200). Phase I (wk 1-3): the infected chickens remained in the containers and were then euthanized while beetles and litter remained in the container (group A), beetles were removed and litter remained in the container (group B), beetles remained and litter was removed (group C), and beetles and litter were removed (group D).

Multilocus Sequence Typing of in Commercial Broiler Flocks.

About 35% of all broiler flocks in the United States receive an anticoccidial vaccine, but it is not possible to easily differentiate vaccine strains from field isolates. Being able to do that would allow using vaccines in a more targeted way. The objective of this study was to collect isolates from broiler flocks that received anticoccidial feed additives and flocks that had been vaccinated against coccidia and then test them with a multilocus sequencing typing (MLST) scheme developed for this study.

Heterakis gallinarum and Histomonas meleagridis DNA persists in chicken houses years after depopulation.

The poultry pathogen Histomonas meleagridis is transmitted by chicken cecal worms (Heterakis gallinarum) and is potentially transmitted by second order insect vectors and paratenic hosts. Darkling beetles (Alphitobius diaperinus) are poultry farm pests that infest barns. An outstanding question is the degree to which darkling beetles transmit both Heterakis and Histomonas.

Prevalence of Select Intestinal Parasites in Alabama Backyard Poultry Flocks.

Keeping chickens as backyard pets has become increasingly popular in the United States in recent years. However, biosecurity is generally low in backyard flocks. As a consequence, they can serve as reservoirs for various pathogens that pose a risk for commercial poultry or human health.

Evaluation of Next-Generation Amplicon Sequencing to Identify spp. of Chickens.

Identifying spp. circulating in a poultry flock assists in designing vaccine preventive programs, as different species do not cross-protect. Because species differ in anticoccidial drug susceptibility, species identification can also be used to optimize anticoccidial medication.