Application of biological modulator in broiler litter to control Salmonella Heidelberg E2

ABSTRACT: Salmonella Heidelberg E2 is a serovar of clinical importance that is frequently associated with diseases caused by opportunistic foodborne microorganisms. The rise in multi-resistant strains represents a significant concern in terms of food safety. Among the proposed strategies for the prevention of this pathogen, the application of biological modulators that act to reduce this pathogen is of particular importance. Therefore, this study assessed the efficacy of a biological modulator comprising Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus polymyxa, a commercial inoculant product denominated Aviclean®, in preventing and removing Salmonella in autoclaved and non-autoclaved broiler litter. In experiments utilizing autoclaved litter, the Prevention and Removal treatments were found to be 100% free of Salmonella at 10 and 15 days, respectively. Consequently, there was a notable reduction in the prevalence of Salmonella in the litter, both in the Prevention treatment (P < 0.05) and the Control treatment (P < 0.05), compared to litters that were not subjected to Aviclean®. However, in experiments with non-autoclaved poultry litter, the prevention and removal treatments demonstrated no effect. The findings indicated that the biological modulator Aviclean® demonstrated efficacy in the control of Salmonella Heidelberg E2, inoculated into poultry litter, at a concentration equivalent to the Bacillus present in the formulation.