# Chick paper sampling: a One Health approach to inform public health action during salmonellosis outbreaks linked to backyard poultry in the United States, 2023

## TL;DR

This study shows that sampling chick shipping materials can help track Salmonella outbreaks linked to backyard poultry, improving public health responses.

## Contribution

The study introduces chick paper sampling as a novel method to trace Salmonella outbreaks to their source hatcheries.

## Key findings

- 37% of 149 chick paper samples tested positive for Salmonella.
- 44% of isolates matched outbreak strains from a 2023 multistate BYP-associated outbreak.
- Chick paper sampling supports timely identification of hatcheries and public health prevention.

## Abstract

Every year, cases of salmonellosis associated with backyard poultry (BYP) contact are reported, despite public health prevention efforts.

We sampled chick shipping materials (“chick paper”) at agricultural retailers to detect Salmonella and to identify supply hatcheries to share mitigation information.

Six states collected 149 samples, and 55 (37%) were positive for Salmonella. These yielded 107 Salmonella isolates; 47 (44%) of the isolates were Salmonella serotypes that matched a subset of the outbreak strains identified in the 2023 multistate BYP-associated outbreak investigation.

Isolates obtained through chick shipping material sampling support timely identification of source hatcheries and public health prevention activities. These results suggest chick paper sampling can be a valuable tool during outbreaks linked to BYP.