How can microorganisms contaminate poultry and eggs and what are the diseases they cause?
Spain Food such as poultry and eggs can become contaminated with microorganisms that cause food poisoning at any stage of the ‘farm to fork’ food chain. Animals can be infected through contaminated feed, living areas and other infected animals. They can also be transmitted vertically (parent to offspring) through eggs. One of the most widespread infections in poultry and chicken eggs is Salmonella. An animal infected with Salmonella excretes them and can thereby cross-infect any other healthy animal with which it comes into contact – at the farm, to and from market and in the slaughterhouse. Infections are mostly the result of inadequate cooking and/or cross contamination, exacerbated by poor handling/storage techniques of food and occasionally also by infected animals. The most common symptoms of a Salmonella infection are general malaise, diarrhoea, high fever, vomiting, severe abdominal pain and the possible development of septicaemia or peritonitis. Another widespread poultry infec
