Salmonella Bacteriophage Diversity According to Most Prevalent Salmonella Serovars in Layer and Broiler Poultry Farms from Eastern Spain

Abstract

The exploration of novel nonantibiotic interventions in the field, such as the use of bacteriophages, is necessary to avoid the presence of Salmonella. Bacteriophages are a group of viruses widely distributed in nature, strictly associated with the prokaryotic cell. Researchers have demonstrated the success of phage therapy in reducing Salmonella counts in poultry products. However, the impact that phage concentration in the environment may have against certain Salmonella serovars is not well understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess Salmonella phage prevalence in commercial poultry farms in terms of the production type: layers or broilers. The most prevalent Salmonella serovars isolated in poultry production were used for phage isolation. Salmonella specific phages were isolated from 141 layer and broiler farms located in the Valencia region during 2019. Analysis of the samples revealed that 100% presented Salmonella phages, the most prevalent being against serovar S. Enteritidis (93%), followed by S. Virchow (59%), S. Typhimurium (55%), S. Infantis (52%) and S. Ohio (51%). These results indicate that poultry farms could represent an important source of Salmonella phages. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to assess the epidemiology of phages against other serovars present in other countries and their diversity from the point of view of molecular studies.

In Vitro and In Vivo Gastrointestinal Survival of Non-Encapsulated and Microencapsulated Salmonella Bacteriophages: Implications for Bacteriophage Therapy in Poultry

“…Despite the NSCP, Salmonella continues to be a threat pathogen to the poultry sector and a potential risk from farm to fork [ 40 ]. Therefore, prevention and control are required throughout the poultry chain [ 12 ].…”

“…BP FGS011 used in this study was isolated by Sevilla-Navarro et al [ 40 ]. It was isolated from faeces samples from commercial poultry farms (broilers and layers) in Eastern Spain in the Poultry Quality and Animal Nutrition Centre of the Valencia Region (CECAV).…”

“…Subsequently, 10 µL of the BP FGS011 (10 10 PFU/mL) suspension was spotted onto the surface of the double layer agar. The resulting plates were incubated overnight at 37 °C, and subsequently checked for the BP plaque formation on the bacterial lawns [ 40 ].…”

“…In order to assess the lytic spectrum of the BP, the sensitivity of 13 field and reference bacterial strains including ten Salmonella serovars, one Escherichia coli strain, one Citrobacter freundi strain and one Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain were determined by spot test using the double agar method [40]. Salmonella serovars selected for BP lytic spectrum were those more prevalent in European poultry farms (S. Enteritidis, S. Typhimurium, monophasic S. Typhimurium, S. Infantis, S. Virchow, S. Kentucky, S. Ohio, S. Senftemberg, S. Indiana and S. Havana).…”

Gastrointestinal Dynamics of Non-Encapsulated and Microencapsulated Salmonella Bacteriophages in Broiler Production

“…BP FGS011 used in this study was isolated by Sevilla-Navarro et al [ 26 ] and characterized by Lorenzo-Rebenaque et al [ 23 ]. BP FGS011 was propagated on Salmonella Senftenberg ( S. Senftenberg), obtained from poultry farms during the NSCP [ 27 ] in the Poultry Quality and Animal Nutrition Centre of the Valencia Region (CECAV).…”