An examination of contact points was made to determine where poults may have become exposed to these enteroinvasive E. coli, that have the ability to cause diarrhea as well as extra-intestinal disease. At the 20th annual Technical Turkey Conference last April in Cheshire, England, my response to a question concerning the possible vertical transmission of PEMS was misinterpreted by some. I indicated that although enteroinvasive E. coli have been found in embryos, there is still no evidence these E. coli or the PEMS agents are vertically transmitted. The fact E. coli are found in embryos is not a new observation. Normal chicken hens may shed E. coli in up to 6.0 per cent of their eggs while experimentally innoculated hens may shed E. coli in about 25 per cent of their eggs.
Fecal material is usually the most important source of bacterial contamination of eggs.
The fecal material can be washed from the contaminated eggshell, but improper washing can be a source for contamination of hatching eggs, especially when the eggshell cuticle is removed. If the warm, washed eggs are rapidly cooled, bacteria can be pulled through the pores of the eggshell where they reside during incubation and where they can sometimes penetrate the embryo. Taking precautions Turkey hatchery multipliers and poult suppliers in the United States, especially in North Carolina, have taken extraordinary precautions to assure that poult quality is maintained at the highest possible level. Turkey flock management in North Carolina is second to none, and multiplier flock health maintenance programs receive only the highest priorities. Insect control measures for darkling beetles and flies are practised to prevent vector introduction of PEMS into multiplier flocks.