The Need

Non-typhoidal Salmonella are among the top five intestinal pathogens in the United States. Among foodborne illnesses, they are responsible for 11% of illnesses, 35% of those hospitalizations, and 28% deaths, with an estimated cost of $3.6 billion in 2014. Poultry is the most common source of wide-scale Salmonella outbreaks, having caused 55 outbreaks in the United States since 1990. Salmonella is currently controlled on farms and in fresh products using exclusion, host resistance, competition, and remediation. However, these management techniques have limited effectiveness due to new antimicrobial-resistant isolates and are not readily adapted by backyard farmers or small growers. New methods of control are needed to support safe and sustainable poultry production.

The Technology

Researchers at The Ohio State University have identified four small molecules that inhibit the growth of several Salmonella serotypes. These compounds are effective on biofilm-protected Salmonella, and enhance the in vitro efficacy of traditional antibiotics used in Salmonella treatment protocols. They can be directly fed to broiler chickens before slaughter, so that Salmonella isolates are reduced without affecting the host or end-consumers. They could also be incorporated into food packaging to reduce Salmonella post-harvest. In preliminary testing, the compounds reduce Salmonella, improve the efficacy of other treatments when used in combination, and exhibited low toxicity.

Commercial Applications

• Poultry bacterial protection
• Food safety

Benefits/ Advantages

• Stable & Suitable for mass application (adhere to Lipinski's rule of five)
• Size allows for diffusion into target cells
• Potential new mode-of-action might reduce development of resistance