Controlling European Starlings to Reduce Salmonella in Cattle Operations
Author Information
Author(s): James C Carlson, Richard M Engeman, Doreene R Hyatt, Rickey L Gilliland, Thomas J DeLiberto, Larry Clark, Michael J Bodenchuk, George M Linz
Primary Institution: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Hypothesis
Can starling control reduce Salmonella enterica contamination in concentrated animal feeding operations?
Conclusion
Starling control can help reduce Salmonella contamination in cattle feed and water, but should not be the only method used to manage disease.
Supporting Evidence
- Starling control reduced Salmonella contamination in water troughs from 28% to 5%.
- Feed bunks showed a decrease in Salmonella contamination from 8% to 0% after starling control.
- Contamination in the reference facility increased after starling control operations.
Takeaway
This study looked at whether getting rid of starlings could help keep cattle from getting sick from Salmonella. It found that while it helped with feed and water, it didn't really change how many sick cattle there were.
Methodology
The study compared a starling-controlled CAFO with a reference facility, sampling cattle feed, water, and feces for Salmonella before and after control operations.
Limitations
The study was limited to two CAFOs, and results may not be generalizable to other locations or conditions.
Participant Demographics
The starling-controlled CAFO had a herd size of 50,000 cattle, while the reference CAFO had 70,000 cattle.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.0006
Confidence Interval
95% CI = 2895, 4280
Statistical Significance
p<0.0001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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