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Abstract
This research is an attempt to detect low levels of Salmonella Typhimurium (101) and Campylobacter coli (102) in broiler chicks using cloacal swabs. In these trials day old broiler chicks were orally gavaged with varying concentrations of nalidixic acid resistant Salmonella and gentamicin resistant Campylobacter coli inoculum. Deep and shallow cloacal swabs were evaluated as a non-destructive tool to identify positive Campylobacter and Salmonella broiler chicks. Along with the cloacal swabs from each chick, the spleen and liver/gall bladder were collected to determine translocation of the organisms. These studies suggest that even at low levels, Salmonella (101) and Campylobacter (102) can be recovered by cloacal swabs to help identify and control the presence of these organisms in young chicks. The deep swab detected slight more positive birds than the shallow swab. This technique has the potential be used as a non- destructive screening tool in the more valuable breeder chickens.