Company creates vaccine to combat Salmonella

Tallahassee - One more step in the right direction on fighting food pathogens, as a cutting edge science may allow for less worry in your next meal.

Global Green, Inc. has initiated an advanced trial of a vaccine designed to protect against Salmonella. The study will determine how long a chicken can be protected against Salmonella after it begins laying eggs, according to the company. Neither the egg, nor the chick, when it hatches, will have Salmonella if a layer hen is not infected with the bacteria. There is a "time-lined" vaccine effect that will be logged and sequenced during the study, beginning from a newly-hatched chicken, to the 18-20 weeks before the chicken becomes a layer hen, and, after that, until the end of the hen's productive life, the company said. Researchers will inject the vaccine, called Salmogenics, directly into the egg before the chick is hatched. Once hatched, the broiler or egg laying hen would be expected to show a significant reduction in the presence of Salmonella or could essentially be Salmonella-free for a given period of time, according to Global Green. The trial would confirm how long the bird would be protected from Salmonella, and if a "booster" injection would be necessary. "The new regulation as mandated by the FDA is an important step in the public health strategy," said Dr. Mehran Ghazvini, chairman and CEO of Global Green. "The facts show that Salmonella is a hazard we can and should address. Salmogenics shows great potential in becoming an essential tool for producing a "zero tolerance for Salmonella" egg. Global Green is excited about being part of the solution."