Detection of Salmonella spp. in broilers raised in a sealed buildings of integration in western Paraná

Abstract

Over the past 20 years, the poultry sector was the one that most invested in technology, which explains  its evolution in terms of production. These gains were due to improved feed conversion ratios, breeding, increased automation and better management of aviaries. Salmonella spp. is a bacterium that inhabits both human being and animal intestinal tract. When birds of a breed are contaminated with Salmonella, control becomes difficult and results are unreliable. Birds are reservoirs of this bacterium and the pathogen can be spread to other birds, the environment and their progeny. The production of broilers needs a biosecurity program for qualifying products that are offered to the population. Flocks of chickens must be constantly monitored for inquiries regarding their microbiological quality, water quality and feed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the contamination by Salmonella spp. in broilers reared in two air-conditioned sheds of a Western Parana integration. The collection of sewer swabs, swab drag and Salmonella studies in fragments of organs, performed in broilers with ages between 21 ± 5 days of life, took place from April to October, 2011. There were collected one hundred sewer swabs per flock in each aviary, and each swab was used to sample two birds, totaling 1,000 birds sampled. We also used 02 drag swabs in each shed per flock, totaling 20 samples and fragments of organs of 10 birds in each aviary per flock, where samples were collected from the liver, heart and spleen of a pool of 05 birds. There were also collected cecum and cecal tonsils of a pool of 05 birds per flock of each aviary, totaling 60 birds. Sampling and methodology for the Salmonella study were carried out according to the parameters established by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Supplies (MAPA). None of the 1,000 birds sampled by sewer swab was positive for Salmonella spp. Similar result was found in the 20 samples of drag swab and pools of organs fragments from the 60 birds sampled. According to these results, we conclude that broilers reared in air-conditioned sheds of a Western Parana integration are in sanitary conditions.