Bacteriophage in-feed application: A novel approach to preventing Salmonella Enteritidis colonization in chicks fed experimentally contaminated feed

Ensuring the safety of food sources continues to be a priority in animal production. This requires elucidating and utilizing interventions such as bacteriophages (BP) to reduce pathogens such as Salmonella. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a bacteriophage in the feed for its ability to reduce Salmonella Enteritidis (S.E.) colonization in broilers. Two hundred seventy day-of-hatch broiler chicks were placed into 3 treatments: 1) challenged control, 2) 1 kg BP/metric ton, and 3) 1.5 kg BP/metric ton. Birds were given S.E.-contaminated (105 CFU/g feed) diets from day of trial (DOT) 8 to 14. Both BP treatments significantly reduced S.E. prevalence from cloacal swabs on DOT 14 (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in liver and spleen S.E. prevalence among treatments on DOT 28. The S.E. prevalence in the ceca was significantly lower (P < 0.001) in both BP treatments on DOT 28. This study demonstrates the efficacy of in-feed BP in reducing S.E.-contamination of feed as it passes the GI tract.