Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
Poult Sci. 2011 Jul;90(7):1391-6. doi: 10.3382/ps.2010-00944.
Concerns regarding the welfare of laying hens have led to the ban of conventional battery cages in Europe from 2012 onward and to the development of alternative housing systems that allow hens to perform a broader range of natural behaviors. Limited information is available about the consequences of alternative housing systems on transmission of zoonotic pathogens such as Salmonella Enteritidis. However, Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis continues to be one of the leading causes of bacterial foodborne disease worldwide and this is mainly attributed to the consumption of contaminated eggs. A transmission experiment was performed to quantify the effect of the housing system on the spread of a Salmonella Enteritidis infection within a group of layers and on internal egg contamination. At the age of 16 wk, 126 birds housed on the floor were inoculated with Salmonella Enteritidis. Three weeks later, the inoculated hens were housed together with equal numbers of susceptible contact animals in 4 different housing systems: a conventional cage system, a furnished cage, an aviary, and a floor system. Transmission and egg contamination were followed during a 4-wk period. A trend toward increased bird-to-bird transmission was detected in the aviary and floor system compared with the cage systems. Also, significantly more contaminated eggs were found in the aviary compared with the cage systems and the floor system. These results suggest that there is a clear need to optimize and maintain Salmonella surveillance programs when laying hens will be moved from conventional cage systems to alternative housing systems.
人们对蛋鸡福利的关注导致欧洲从 2012 年起禁止使用传统的笼养方式，并开发了允许母鸡表现出更广泛的自然行为的替代饲养系统。关于替代饲养系统对诸如肠炎沙门氏菌等人畜共患病原体传播的影响，目前信息有限。然而，肠炎沙门氏菌血清型肠炎仍然是全世界细菌性食源性疾病的主要原因之一，这主要归因于食用受污染的鸡蛋。进行了一项传播实验，以量化饲养系统对鸡群中肠炎沙门氏菌感染传播的影响，以及对鸡蛋内部污染的影响。在 16 周龄时，将 126 只饲养在地面上的鸡接种肠炎沙门氏菌。3 周后，将接种的母鸡与同等数量的易感接触动物一起饲养在 4 种不同的饲养系统中：传统笼养系统、有家具的笼养系统、开放式禽舍和地面系统。在 4 周的时间内监测传播和鸡蛋污染情况。与笼养系统相比，开放式禽舍和地面系统中鸡与鸡之间的传播呈增加趋势。而且，开放式禽舍中受污染的鸡蛋明显多于笼养系统和地面系统。这些结果表明，当蛋鸡从传统笼养系统转移到替代饲养系统时，需要对沙门氏菌监测计划进行优化和维护。
