Study of a lytic bacteriophage as a tool for the control of Salmonella Gallinarum in layer poultry: Control bacteriófago de Salmonella Gallinarum en aves de postura

Abstract

One of the main diseases affecting laying poultry in Argentina is fowl typhoid, which is caused by the pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Gallinarum (S. Gallinarum). This disease causes major economic losses due to high mortality rates, reduction in the production and need of renewal of infected facilities. With the aim to develop a new method of biocontrol of S. Gallinarum, in the present study we characterized a bacteriophage in terms of viral specificity, growth kinetics and stability in the presence of different environmental conditions. The phage displayed a wide host range and no lytic activity against the vaccine strain 9R. Moreover, it was stable at pH 3, the phage titer was not significantly reduced in the presence of chloroform and its activity was not affected by antibiotics or various chemical agents often used in aviculture. Application of a phage suspension on S. Gallinarum-contaminated surfaces resulted in a significant reduction of bacterial load (p<0.05). These results show that lytic bacteriophages such as the one studied here are an innovative alternative with potential application for the control S. Gallinarum in laying poultry farms.