New Feed Study Focuses on Salmonella

一个新的合作研究项目正在调查全国工厂的饲料样品，以找出动物饲料中可能存在哪种类型的沙门氏菌。

饲料教育与研究所（IFEEDER）和几个合作伙伴已经启动了为期一年的研究，以分析五种沙门氏菌菌株中的任何一种，这些菌株对牲畜有害。

美国饲料行业协会（AFIA）监管事务主任普雷斯顿·巴夫（Preston Buff）博士说，这项研究将促进牲畜的健康和食品安全。

“The outcome would be a tool to use communicating with customers or that helps mills develop a strategy around mitigation steps that may be needed, making sure we’re producing feed in the safest manner possible.”

Study methods and timeline

The project is a double-blinded study, which means the feed mills and sample providers won’t know any results, and researchers from the University of Arkansas who are examining the samples won’t know where the samples originated. Kansas State also will prepare sampling kits and a video to detail how to do aseptic sampling. Samples for the study will be collected in two seasons, roughly six months apart.

“Some data support the prevalence of salmonella within feed with some seasonal change,” Buff said. “Doing it in two different seasons helps pick up any variation within that.”

The samples will be tested for the presence of salmonella first. If a sample does contain the microorganism, it will be further evaluated to identify the specific salmonella strain, known as a serotype. There are more than 2,500 serotypes, and the majority are neither pathogenic to humans nor animals. This study focuses on strains that are pathogenic to animals.

Buff预期的结果将在2018年底宣布。

Effects of salmonella in feed

沙门氏菌是自然存在于环境中的微生物。微生物也可以在许多动物中找到。

However, there are only eight serotypes that the Food and Drug Administration considers to be a threat to food producing animals, such as poultry, swine, sheep, horses, and dairy and beef cattle. These species react to various types of salmonella in several ways.

For example, salmonella can lead to abortion in sheep and horses, with digestive disease or gastrointestinal issues occurring in other livestock.

Most scientists believe salmonella strains found in animal feed do not carry through animals to humans, but some food for animals is riskier than others to people. If people, especially children or immune-compromised individuals, directly handle animal food (such as a pet’s food) that contains salmonella there, is a high risk that they could contract salmonellosis, which leads to nausea, fever and headache, among other symptoms.

Because of this risk, the Food and Drug Administration differentiates between pet food and animal feed in its regulation of Salmonella found in food for animals.

Differences between pet food and animal feed

The Food and Drug Administration provides guidance for agency staff under “Compliance Policy Guide Sec. 680.800 salmonella in Food for Animals.” The guidance was issued July 12, 2013 and made changes from previous policies that stated that feed with any type of salmonella was contaminated. The policy considers variability in how Salmonella affects humans and animals, as well as the risk of people being exposed to the food.

In the case of pet foods contaminated with salmonella, no matter what serotype, FDA states that “regulatory action is warranted.” The likelihood that people will directly contact the pet food leads to a higher risk that they will contract salmonella, leading to significant health problems.

According to the policy guide, pet food includes “dog and cat food, aquarium fish food ... pet treats or chews, vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional supplements intended for dogs, cats and other pets, and pet food ingredients, such as animal products, plant protein products, grain products, vitamin and mineral products.”

“宠物可以处理大多数类型，没有问题，” Buff说。“人类处理它并生病的主要问题。”

该机构使用不同的动物饲料方法。

“FDA believes the likelihood of direct human contact with animal feed is substantially lower than for pet foods,” the directive states. “Therefore, in cases of animal feed contaminated with salmonella, FDA believes regulatory action is warranted when such cases involve salmonella serotypes that are known to cause disease in the animal species for which the feed is intended. Cases of contamination involving other salmonella serotypes should be considered on a case-by-case basis.”

如果在动物饲料中发现危险，则需要将饲料报告给FDA作为“可报告食品”，并且制造商需要确定是否需要召回。Buff指出，该行业尚未看到最近对沙门氏菌的任何牲畜饲料召回。

“If someone decided that they want to understand why pet food is regulated one way and livestock another, we’ve got data to show that this is not an issue,” Buff said.

他指出，宠物食品公司对所有类型的沙门氏菌都有其他控制方法，设备和测试，因为人类可以与微生物接触。但是，如果对动物饲料有相同的要求，则该行业可能会在其他控制和过程中损失数百万美元，而没有科学证据表明，使用这些相同的措施并减轻所有类型的鲑鱼，而不仅仅是在其中检查的八种血清型该研究将使动物或人类健康受益。动物比人类不太容易受到细菌的影响。

Buff stated that there had been work done in the past, finding that the salmonella numbers in feed were relatively low. This current research project builds on the previous research to determine exactly what the numbers and serotypes in feed are so that the feed industry knows what further control steps, if any, should be taken.

Projected practical application

Steven Ricke, University of Arkansas Donald “Buddy” Wray Chair in Food Safety and principal project investigator, said that the study will show what factors may be affecting salmonella prevalence and if there is anything common in the group.

“It’s important to know how much of a contribution, if any, the feed might be making to incidences of salmonella,” Ricke said. “We don’t know enough about feed to know if it’s a consistent, frequent, or a contributor at all. We don’t have good baseline data. The results may help the design of interventions if we need them forfeed manufacturing in general.”

Buff said the results of the research project would help AFIA members and members of the feed industry send a message about feed safety. They also would gain a better understanding of what is needed to communicate that message.

“The outcome of the study will improve our understanding about what the prevalence of salmonella in feed is and will be helpful in shaping future policies in feed safety,” Buff said.

Partners working together

Along with AFIA and the University of Arkansas, partners in the project are National Pork Board, National Renderers Association, Poultry Protein and Fat Council, U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, and U.S. Soybean Board. The partners are members of the Salmonella in Feed Coalition, which provided a $50,000 grant to the University of Arkansas to conduct the research.

卷入

The study is open to feed firms interested in participating by providing samples. Samples are needed from mills that produce bulk feed, not bagged feed, for food producing animals. Any livestock food producing feed mill personnel interested in participating in the study can contact AFIA’s Kori Chung, legislative and regulatory administrative assistant, at[email protected].

Ricke will be speaking about the project at the 2018 International Production and Processing Expo held in Atlanta. His presentation, “Salmonella and Its Association with Animal Food,” will be given from 11 to 11:45 a.m. on Jan. 31 in Room B 304-305 in the Georgia World Congress Center. His presentation will cover the study’s rationale, methods, relevancy and objectives.