The relationship between Salmonella levels in chicken spleen and mechanically separated ground chicken

• Salmonella was detected from 15.6% to 27.8% of spleen and mechanically separated chicken samples, respectively.
• Salmonella presence in composite spleen samples was an indication of systemic infection in chickens.
• Salmonella prevalence in spleen can be an indicator for mechanically separated chicken samples product contamination.

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between Salmonella levels (presence and numbers) in chicken spleens and in mechanically separated chicken (MSC) at a commercial processing plant. Composite spleen and MSC samples were collected from 18 flocks at a commercial poultry processing plant. A total of 180 samples of each type were collected and tested for Salmonella using the most probable number (MPN) and enrichment methods. Overall, Salmonella was detected in 15.6% and 27.8% of spleen and MSC samples, respectively. The mean log MPN was 0.95 and 0.85 for the spleen and MSC samples, respectively. There was a significant relationship between Salmonella presence in spleen and MSC samples. However, the log MPN numbers in MSC samples were not significantly related to those in spleen samples. Salmonella presence in composite spleen samples (an indication of systemic infection in chickens) may predict MSC contamination with this pathogen, at the flock level.