title: Mice as carriers of Salmonella enteritidis on persistently infected poultry units.
abstract: Evidence of the possible role of wild mice in the epidemiology of Salmonella enteritidis infection on broiler breeder and layer breeder units was obtained by a bacteriological examination of local mice. Persistent S enteritidis infection in birds on these units had been a problem and a high proportion of the mice were found to carry salmonella. S enteritidis was isolated from the liver and the intestine of most of the mice, indicating a systemic infection. Three-week-old chicks were infected by contact with droppings from mice which had been infected experimentally with S enteritidis two and five months previously. Wild mice infected artificially or naturally excreted S enteritidis intermittently, with up to 10(4) organisms in some individual droppings. A naturally infected mouse which died after intermittently excreting small numbers of S enteritidis in its droppings for 19 weeks had 10(4) organisms/g of liver and 10(3)/g of macerated intestine and contents. S enteritidis was also found in fetal tissue in a naturally infected mouse suggesting the possibility that the organism might be transmitted vertically.
authors.affiliation: Bacteriology Department, Central Veterinary Laboratory, Addlestone, Surrey.
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wray
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology*; D004199:Disease Vectors; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005333:Fetus / Q000382:microbiology; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000662:veterinary; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice / Q000196:embryology / Q000382:microbiology*; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D015995:Prevalence; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D012481:Salmonella Infections, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D012477:Salmonella enteritidis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology