Rodents may serve as biologic vectors that can amplify salmonella
and disseminate these bacteria between poultry flocks (9). Wild rats,
in particular, have been reported to be naturally infected by
The owner of the index farm expressed a strong desire to resume
his egg-selling business. Therefore, he requested guidelines to
cleanup his equipment and buildings so that his replacement flock
would not be exposed to Salmonella Pullorum. Thirty days after
a regulatory official had inspected and approved the cleaning and
disinfecting procedures, 254 Production Brown started pullets were
delivered. Four months after arrival, all pullets were tested by the
stained antigen, rapid whole-blood test and determined to be
seronegative. Negative drag-swab cultures of the environment
demonstrated that the cleanup procedures used on this farm
successfully eliminated Salmonella Pullorum from the facilities used
to raise and maintain a backyard flock of egg-layers. Cleanup was
completed during the spring, replacement birds were delivered
during the summer, and testing of the replacement flock was
completed in the fall. The success of this cleanup effort was due in
part to a determined owner and was aided by relatively high
environmental temperatures during the cleaning and disinfection
process, which reduced the probability of survival of Salmonella
Pullorum that may have remained in the environment after
depopulation of the affected flock.