Salmonella in Hen Eggs

Abstract

Samples of hen eggs were collected by the senior author, who was not a Salmonella carrier. The technic of breaking the eggs was the same as used by cooks in local institutional kitchens. No attempt was made to differentiate between shell contamination and contamination of the internal content of the egg. Of 186 samples representing 247 dozen eggs taken from 56 cases, one was found to contain S. paratyphi B. which was considered a significant finding, and 5 were found to contain S. pullorum. These findings were confirmed by the Salmonella Center, Agric. Expt. Station of Kentucky, Lexington. The results emphasize that foods containing raw hen eggs are a potential hazard for human infection with Salmonella.