Colonisation of poultry by Salmonella Enteritidis S1400 is reduced by combined administration of Lactobacillus salivarius 59 and Enterococcus faecium PXN-33

•An oral contact & sentinel bird models were used to evaluate Salmonella colonisation.•E. faecium PXN33 &L. salivarius 59 prevented S. Enteritidis colonisation of poultry.•Dual vs. single probiotic administration was superior for S. Enteritidis inhibition.•In vitro CFCS assays demonstrated that probiotic inhibition was pH dependent. Salmonella Enteritidis remains a significant issue within the poultry industry and one potential solution is to use probiotic bacteria to prevent Salmonella colonisation through competitive exclusion (CE). We demonstrate that combined administration of Lactobacillus salivarius 59 and Enterococcus faecium PXN33 were effective competitive excluders of Salmonella Enteritidis S1400 in poultry. Two models were developed to evaluate the efficacy of probiotic where birds received Salmonella Enteritidis S1400 by a) oral gavage and b) sentinel bird to bird transmission. A statistically significant (p