Agricultural Research Service

June 13, 2000

The invention provides a method and compositions for controlling the spread of food borne enteric bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella species, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, and Campylobacter species in poultry populations. The incidence of the colonization of poultry by enteropathogenic bacteria, and/or the populations of enteropathogenic bacteria within colonized poultry, may be substantially reduced by providing particles of an expanded matrix material, such as biodegradable starch, to the vicinity of the birds, particularly during the period of feed removal prior to slaughter. The poultry will preferentially consume the particulate expanded matrix material rather than the feces and litter, thereby reducing the uptake of the pathogenic bacteria. These particles may be prepared from a wide variety of expanded matrix materials including polymer foams (packing peanuts) produced from biodegradable polymers or starches, or from extruded and expanded grains.

James A. Byrd II Southern Crops Research Laboratory 2881 F&B; Road College Station TX 77845-9594 (979) 260-9331 / Fax: (979) 260-9332 E-mail: byrd@ffsru.tamu.edu	Larry H. Stanker (Same address as first inventor) (979) 260-9484 / Fax: (979) 260-9332 E-mail: stanker@ffsru.tamu.edu.
	Donald E. Corrier (deceased)

salmonellae, chickens, pathogeneic bacteria, poultry, turkeys, ducks, geese, E. coli, Campylobacter, slaughterhouse, starch

The invention provides a method and compositions for controlling the spread of food borne enteric bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella species, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, and Campylobacter species in poultry populations. The incidence of the colonization of poultry by enteropathogenic bacteria, and/or the populations of enteropathogenic bacteria within colonized poultry, may be substantially reduced by providing particles of an expanded matrix material, such as biodegradable starch, to the vicinity of the birds, particularly during the period of feed removal prior to slaughter. The poultry will preferentially consume the particulate expanded matrix material rather than the feces and litter, thereby reducing the uptake of the pathogenic bacteria. These particles may be prepared from a wide variety of expanded matrix materials including polymer foams (packing peanuts) produced from biodegradable polymers or starches, or from extruded and expanded grains.

Patent Number 6,228,355, which issued May 8, 2001.