Salmonella risks highlighted at Layer Conference

Elanco and Rosehill welcomed 50 delegates to their annual Layer Conference, at the West Midlands Shooting Ground on 29 June 2023, where delegates were warned of the continued risk of Salmonella and recent vaccine research was showcased to help prevent the disease. 

One of the major take home messages from the day was highlighted by Shaun Cawthraw, from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), who shared the alarming figure that cases of Salmonella on-farm between 2018 to 2020, there was a 50% year-on-year increase in Salmonella on-farm, driven by regulated and non-regulated serovars. 

“While this has been mainly driven by a rise in non-regulated serovars in broiler cases, it shows a trend that could be seen in layers in the future, if no action is taken,” he said.
“It’s imperative that egg producers are aware of Salmonella serovar prevalence and their risk levels.
“In commercial layers, S. Newport has been the most common serovar, affecting 18.4% of positive flocks.
“However, S. Infantis is one of the most frequently isolated poultry serovars globally, and it’s an emerging risk in the UK. It’s the most clinically significant serovar, as the principal source of human infection – something the layer industry must be vigilant against,” warned Dr Cawthraw.

Continuing the theme of Salmonella, Elanco’s technical consultant, James Bishop, presented the results from recent vaccine research.
One of these trials looked at the effectiveness of AviPro™ Salmonella Duo, which contains S. Enteritidis and S.Typhimurium strains, against infections of S. Typhimurium, versus a live S. Enteritidis vaccine from another supplier.

“Seven days after birds were exposed to a field strain S. Typhimurium challenge, it was found that only 4 of the 33 birds given a live S. Enteritidis vaccine were negative, when taking caecal samples, compared to 23 out of 35 vaccinated with AviPro Salmonella Duo¹,” said Dr Bishop.
“From the same trial, when looking at the spleen, it was found that 15 out of the 33 birds given the live S. Enteritidis vaccine were positive for the disease, whereas only 3 out of the 35 birds given AviPro Salmonella Duo were positive¹.” 

Vaccinating with AviPro Salmonella Duo, showed significantly better protection compared to the product containing a S. Enteritidis vaccine strain only, when birds were challenged with a S. Typhimurium field strain.

As there is expected to be a direct correlation between the number of field strains in the caeca, and the number of organisms shed by the birds², birds vaccinated with AviPro Salmonella Duo are expected to shed significantly less field strain organisms compared to birds vaccinated with the live S. Enteritidis vaccine from another supplier. 

Egg industry updates

Also speaking at the event were Nan-Dirk Mulder, from Rabobank and Andrew Joret, chairman of the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC), who updated the floor on the egg industry status.

“Following a couple of challenging years, we’re starting to see lower feed prices and higher egg prices, which means that egg production is looking more profitable,” said Mr Mulder.

“Despite this, there’s still a huge variation in margins between producers. Focusing on operational excellence and looking at alternative ways to market and add value to eggs through convenience products is recommended, to optimise margins.” 

Mr Joret continued with an update on British egg production.

“With 38 million hens, the egg industry has dropped off since June 2021 where we saw a high of 44.7 million hens, following a spell of very low egg prices³,” he said.

“But the good news is that we’re seeing a steady uplift now. However, the change to cage-free systems is putting pressure on some producers, costing an average of £25 per bird to make the switch, as this needs to be in place by 2025,” said Mr Joret.

It was fantastic to have so many key stakeholders from the egg industry in one room after what has been a rocky spell for the industry. However, it was positive to see that there is opportunity out there, but we must remain vigilant against the risks of disease from hampering business and industry growth.