Atatürk Üniversitesi Veteriner Bilimleri Dergisi

Öz

Poultry meat which has an economic importance and high nutritional
value among animal protein sources has an important role in supplying the food
needs. Owing to the nutrients they contain, poultry meats create an environment
which is quite suitable for the growth of pathogenic and apathogenic
microorganisms. Salmonella spp. are
among the significant pathogens causing problems on animal health, public
health and food safety with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. In terms of
public health, the extent of losses caused by these agents has been expressed
as billions due to the increased infection prevalence, development of multidrug
antimicrobial resistance, decreased food supply, labor intensity and treatment
costs. The epidemiology of Salmonella
agents is rather complex thank to the widespread distribution of
host-nonspecific serovars without showing any clinical signs of disease.
Therefore, they pose potential risks on food safety from farm to fork. In
world, some efforts have been made to decrease Salmonella prevalence in poultry flocks and products by employing
various control and eradication strategies. However, fighting againstSalmonella requires a comprehensive and
complex study and, it may be minimized by applying strict monitoring at all
stages of production chain and taking necessary precautions rigorously. The
purpose of this review was to present valuable information about microbiology,
classification, serotypes, antigenic structure, virulence factors, resistance
mechanisms to environmental conditions, infections concerning public and
poultry health, prevalence and control measures of Salmonella species.