Passive immunization to reduce Campylobacter jejuni colonization and transmission in broiler chickens

Abstract

Campylobacter jejuni is the most common cause of bacterium-mediated diarrheal disease in humans worldwide. Poultry products are considered the most important source of C. jejuni infections in humans but to date no effective strategy exists to eradicate this zoonotic pathogen from poultry production. Here, the potential use of passive immunization to reduce Campylobacter colonization in broiler chicks was examined. For this purpose, laying hens were immunized with either a whole-cell lysate or the hydrophobic protein fraction of C. jejuni and their eggs were collected. In vitro tests validated the induction of specific ImmunoglobulinY (IgY) against C. jejuni in the immunized hens’ egg yolks, in particular. In seeder experiments, preventive administration of hyperimmune egg yolk significantly (P < 0.01) reduced bacterial counts of seeder animals three days after oral inoculation with approximately 104 cfu C. jejuni, compared with control birds. Moreover, transmission to non-seeder birds was dramatically reduced (hydrophobic protein fraction) or even completely prevented (whole-cell lysate). Purified IgY promoted bacterial binding to chicken intestinal mucus, suggesting enhanced mucosal clearance in vivo. Western blot analysis in combination with mass spectrometry after two-dimensional gel-electrophoresis revealed immunodominant antigens of C. jejuni that are involved in a variety of cell functions, including chemotaxis and adhesion. Some of these (AtpA, EF-Tu, GroEL and CtpA) are highly conserved proteins and could be promising targets for the development of subunit vaccines.

Research Note: Lyophilization of hyperimmune egg yolk: effect on antibody titer and protection of broilers against Campylobacter colonization

“…In the present study, no protection against C. jejuni colonization was detected in chickens fed HEYP compared to control animals. This is in contrast to the results of Hermans et al, (2014) and Vandeputte et al, (2019a), the latter applying the same vaccines and procedures as used in this study, but using fresh yolks. A possible explanation is that lyophilization resulted in a 16-fold decline of the Campylobacter-specific antibody titer in the yolk, as determined by ELISA.…”

“…Campylobacter-specific IgY titers in egg yolks were determined before and after lyophilization, as previously described by Hermans et al, (2014) with minor changes to the protocol. Egg yolks were diluted 1/5 (vol/vol) in HBSS, mixed thoroughly, and incubated overnight at 4 C. Lyophilized egg yolks were first diluted 1/2 (wt/ vol) in HBSS because half of the egg yolk consists of water (Bizanov, 2017).…”

Influence of oral application of Enterococcus faecium AL41 on TGF-β4 and IL-17 expression and immunocompetent cell distribution in chickens challenged with Campylobacter jejuni

“…Campylobacter jejuni is often considered a harmless commensal inhabitant of the chicken gut, and the immune response to it in the intestinal tract is thought to be tolerogenic (Hermans et al, 2014). In our previous study the counts of Campylobacter-like spp.…”

Field Interventions Against Colonization of Broilers by Campylobacter

“…A small trial using the ionophore coccidiostat salinomycin in feed found that it offered no protection to persistent colonization of 14‐day‐old birds by C. jejuni following a high dose (10 9 cfu) oral inoculum (Johansen, Bjerrum, Lund, & Pedersen, ). By contrast, a small‐scale trial incorporating yolk (5% w/w) from eggs of hens immunized with adjuvanted C. jejuni lysate into chick feed (Hermans et al., ) demonstrated substantial protection against colonization following oral challenge with 10 4 cfu of the same strain of C. jejuni at 10 days of age. A reduction in cecal counts of more than five log 10 units was observed in test animals at 13 days of age, and transmission to in‐contact birds was prevented.…”