Prevalence of salmonellae on eggs from poultry farms in New York State.

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of salmonellae on egg shells. One hundred eggs from each of 14 Central New York poultry farms were tested for salmonella contamination of the shell. The egg magma was examined in those eggs that were positive on shell culture. Only .21% or three of the egg shells yielded salmonellae, all three of which were identified as S. typhimurium. No salmonellae were found in the magma of these eggs. Feed samples from 12 farms were also negative for salmonellae. From this study it would appear that the incidence of salmonellae on eggs from Central New York poultry farms is very low.