Source: Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Researchers at Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences are exploring how cattle diets influence Salmonella infections, a major U.S. foodborne illness risk. Their study, published in Microbiology Spectrum, found that high-starch diets significantly reduced Salmonella presence in cattle, particularly in lymph nodes, which are organs embedded in fat trimmings often used in ground beef. Because Salmonella inside lymph nodes cannot be removed by surface cleaning, this finding could have major public health benefits.
Working with cattle from a West Texas A&M project, the team collected feces, hide, lymph node, and soil samples over seven months. While feeding schedules had little effect, high-starch diets lowered rumen pH, possibly reducing Salmonella in the gastrointestinal tract and lymph nodes. However, high starch also correlated with increased liver abscesses, prompting future research to find an optimal starch level.
Follow-up studies will analyze Salmonella serotypes and antibiotic resistance. Encouragingly, no resistance to critical public health antibiotics was found.
Read the full story HERE: https://vetmed.tamu.edu/news/press-releases/salmonella-prevalence-in-cattle/