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<OL> <LI> Identify the sources of introduction of Salmonella enteritidis (SE) and other salmonellae into commercial poultry flocks and the reservoirs where they persist in the poultry housing environment. <LI> Determine how SE spreads within and between commercial poultry flocks. Identify unique characteristics of Salmonella isolates, strains, serotypes, and phage types and apply this information to determine the epidemiological relationships between isolates from different sources.
Samples taken from diverse locations in commercial poultry housing facilities, and from the birds themselves, will be tested for S.enteritidis and other enteroinvasive salmonellae. Different sampling and testing methods will be selected or developed and then evaluated for their effectiveness in detecting SE. Samples will be obtained from flocks of different ages and housed using different management systems. Experimentally infected chickens will be used to establish or verify fundamental aspects of the host-pathogen relationship between SE and poultry. Statistical modeling tools will be applied to establish the significance of and relationships between individual sources and reservoirs of salmonellae in commercial poultry flocks. Molecular analytical methods will be applied to characterize and differentiate Salmonella isolates.