Early exposure to Enterobacteriaceae may result in inappropriate microbial colonization of the gastrointestinal (
GI
) tract, induce mild GI inflammation, alter immune system development, and predispose poultry to opportunistic infection. Four experiments were conducted to test Enterobacteriaceae isolates
Escherichia coli
LG strain (
LG
),
E. coli
Huff strain (Huff),
Salmonella
Enteritidis LB (
SE
) and
Salmonella
Typhimurium (
ST
) on ability to induce GI inflammation. All 4 experiments included a noninoculated control, and day of hatch (
DOH
) oral inoculation of LG, Huff, SE and ST in experiment 1, LG and SE in experiment 2, and LG, Huff, SE, and ST in experiment 3. Experiment 4 included LG, Huff, a noninoculated control (
NIC
), and
Clostridium perfringens
only (
NCP
) wherein birds received oral
C. perfringens
challenge on d15-16 to induce necrotic enteritis. Body weight was measured, yolk sacs and spleens were collected, and blood was obtained for serum fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran (
FITC-d
) recovery and alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (
A1GP
) concentrations. Samples were taken weekly through 2 wk of age in experiments 1 and 2, or 4 wk of age in experiments 3 and 4. Increased FITC-d recovery was observed for LG and SE on d13 in experiment 2 (
P
< 0.05), and
C. perfringens
only birds on d27 in experiment 4 (
P
< 0.05) as compared to noninoculated controls. Each experiment resulted in notable differences in A1GP serum concentrations over time, with fluctuations in A1GP patterns through d14 based on DOH inoculation (
P
< 0.05). Over time, A1GP was increased for DOH inoculated birds from d 22 to 29, the fourth wk of life, and d 2-29, the entire experiment, vs. noninoculated controls in experiment 3 (
P
< 0.05). Similarly, NCP and LGCP showed increased A1GP from d 20 to 27 and d 6 to 27, vs. NIC in experiment 4 (
P
< 0.05). In experiment 4,
C. perfringens
challenge resulted in earlier A1GP response in DOH inoculated birds, d 17-20, as compared to NCP birds, d 20-27 (
P
< 0.05). These results suggest early Enterobacteriaceae exposure may influence early inflammatory state in the GI tract and may also alter patterns of inflammation and responsiveness to pathogens.