Finding Needles in the Haystack: Establishing Strategies for Assessing Salmonella Status throughout the Turkey Production Chain

Aim 1. Determine the variability in Salmonella contamination on turkey carcasses throughout the processing continuum and establish differences in internal and external Salmonella populations.Aim 2. Utilize data collected on Salmonella variability to develop a conceptual framework to define microbial independence and determine internal and external Salmonella populations that are differently affected by processing.Aim 3. Apply the conceptual framework to the turkey industry to improve Salmonella control strategies.