scholarly journals Campylobacter jejuni transmission and colonisation in broiler chickens is inhibited by Faecal Microbiota Transplantation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Gilroy ◽  
Gemma Chaloner ◽  
Amy Wedley ◽  
Lizeth Lacharme-Lora ◽  
Sue Jopson ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBACKGROUNDCampylobacter jejuni, the most frequent cause of foodborne bacterial infection, is found on around 70% of retail chicken. As such there is a need for effective controls in chicken production. Microbial-based controls such as probiotics are attractive to the poultry industry, but of limited efficacy. Furthermore, as commercially-produced chickens have no maternal contact, their pioneer microbiome is likely to come from the hatchery environment. Early delivery of microbials that lead to a more ‘natural avian’ microbiome may, therefore, improve bird health and reduce susceptibility to C.jejuni colonisation.A faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) was used to transfer a mature cecal microbiome to newly-hatched broiler chicks and its effects on C.jejuni challenge assessed. We used both a seeder-bird infection model that mimics natural bird-to-bird infection alongside a direct-challenge model. We used a 16S rRNA gene sequencing-based approach to characterize the transplant material itself alongside changes to the chicken microbiome following FMT.RESULTSFMT changes the composition of the chicken intestinal microbiome. We observed little change in species richness following FMT compared to untreated samples, but there is an increase in phylogenetic diversity within those species. The most significant difference in the ceca is an increase in Lactobacilli, although not a major component of the transplant material, suggesting the FMT results in a change in the intestinal milieu as much as a direct change to the microbiome.Upon direct challenge, FMT resulted in lower initial intestinal colonisation with C.jejuni. More significantly, in a seeder-bird challenge of infection transmission, FMT reduced transmission and intestinal colonisation until common UK retail age of slaughter. In a repeat experiment, transmission was completely blocked following FMT treatment. Delayed FMT administration at 7 days of-age had limited effect on colonisation and transmission.CONCLUSIONSWe show that transfer of a whole mature microbiome to newly-hatched chicks reduces transmission and colonisation of C.jejuni. This indicates that modification of the broiler chick microbiome can reduce intestinal colonisation of C.jejuni to levels projected to lead to lower the human infection rate. We believe these findings offer a way to identify key taxa or consortia that are effective in reducing C.jejuni colonisation and improving broiler gut health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 168
Author(s):  
Vivak Parkash ◽  
Helen Ashwin ◽  
Jovana Sadlova ◽  
Barbora Vojtkova ◽  
Georgina Jones ◽  
...  

Background: Leishmaniasis is a globally important yet neglected parasitic disease transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies. With new candidate vaccines in or near the clinic, a controlled human challenge model (CHIM) using natural sand fly challenge would provide a method for early evaluation of prophylactic efficacy. Methods: We evaluated the biting frequency and adverse effects resulting from exposure of human volunteers to bites of either Phlebotomus papatasi or P. duboscqi, two natural vectors of Leishmania major. 12 healthy participants were recruited (mean age 40.2 ± 11.8 years) with no history of significant travel to regions where L. major-transmitting sand flies are prevalent. Participants were assigned to either vector by 1:1 allocation and exposed to five female sand flies for 30 minutes in a custom biting chamber. Bite frequency was recorded to confirm a bloodmeal was taken. Participant responses and safety outcomes were monitored using a visual analogue scale (VAS), clinical examination, and blood biochemistry. Focus groups were subsequently conducted to explore participant acceptability. Results: All participants had at least one successful sand fly bite with none reporting any serious adverse events, with median VAS scores of 0-1/10 out to day 21 post-sand fly bite. Corresponding assessment of sand flies confirmed that for each participant at least 1/5 sand flies had successfully taken a bloodmeal (overall mean 3.67±1.03 bites per participant). There was no significant difference between P. papatasi and P. duboscqi in the number of bites resulting from 5 sand flies applied to human participants (3.3±0.81 vs 3.00±1.27 bites per participant; p=0.56).  In the two focus groups (n=5 per group), themes relating to positive participant-reported experiences of being bitten and the overall study, were identified. Conclusions: These results validate a protocol for achieving successful sand fly bites in humans that is safe, well-tolerated and acceptable for participants. Clinicaltrials.gov registration: NCT03999970 (27/06/2019)



2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meriel Moore-Colyer ◽  
Annette Longland ◽  
Pat Harris ◽  
Susan Crosthwaite

Globally hay is the preferred forage for stabled horses. Variable nutritional and hygienic quality stimulates pre-feeding soaking to reduce dust and nutrients to reduce respiratory and metabolic disorders in horses. However, this practice has potential negative impacts on horse health. The objectives of this study were to map the bacterial profile of different hays and determine how soaking alters this with the aim of recommending best practice when feeding fodder to stabled horses. Two meadow and one Perennial Ryegrass hays were soaked for 0, 1.5, 9 or 16 hours. Post treatment, hays were analysed for water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and total aerobic bacteria (TVC), with differences determined using ANOVA and least significant difference. Bacteria were identified via genomic DNA extraction (V3 and V4 variable region of the 16S rRNA gene) and 16S library preparation according to the Illumina protocol. Differences in phyla and family operational taxonomic units within hay types were identified via paired t-tests on the DESeq2 normalised data and false discovery rates accounted for using Padj (P<0.05). Mean WSC losses g/kg DM (+/- SE) increased with soaking time being 30 (10.7), 72 (43.7), 80 (38.8) for 1.5, 9 and 16 hours soak respectively. No relationship existed between WSC leaching and bacteria content or profile. Grass type influenced bacterial profiles. Soaking altered the epiphytic bacterial profile across all hays and 9 hours soaking increased richness and Shannon diversity indices. Clustering of bacteria was seen between meadow hays which differed from perennial rye grass and this difference increased post soaking. The normal industry practice of soaking hay for 9 hours pre-feeding cannot be recommended as it increases total bacteria content with noted increases of some potential pathogens. The alterations in bacteria profile and hygienic quality may explain why changing fodder or pre-feeding treatments can frequently precipitate colic in horses.



2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nilusha Malmuthuge ◽  
Guanxiang Liang ◽  
Philip J. Griebel ◽  
Le Luo Guan

ABSTRACTA lack of information on the intestinal microbiome of neonatal calves prevents the use of microbial intervention strategies to improve calf gut health. This study profiled the taxonomic and functional composition of the small intestinal luminal microbiome of neonatal calves using whole-genome sequencing of the metagenome, aiming to understand the dynamics of microbial establishment during early life. Despite highly individualized microbial communities, we identified two distinct taxonomy-based clusters from the collective luminal microbiomes comprising a high level of eitherLactobacillusorBacteroides. Among the clustered microbiomes,Lactobacillus-dominant ileal microbiomes had significantly lower abundances ofBacteroides,Prevotella,Roseburia,Ruminococcus, andVeillonellacompared to theBacteroides-dominated ileal microbiomes. In addition, the upregulated ileal genes of theLactobacillus-dominant calves were related to leukocyte and lymphocyte chemotaxis, the cytokine/chemokine-mediated signaling pathway, and inflammatory responses, while the upregulated ileal genes of theBacteroides-dominant calves were related to cell adhesion, response to stimulus, cell communication and regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades. The functional profiles of the luminal microbiomes also revealed two distinct clusters consisting of functions related to either high protein metabolism or sulfur metabolism. A lower abundance ofBifidobacteriumand a higher abundance of sulfur-reducing bacteria (SRB) were observed in the sulfur metabolism-dominant cluster (0.2% ± 0.1%) compared to the protein metabolism-dominant cluster (12.6% ± 5.7%), suggesting an antagonistic relationship between SRB andBifidobacterium, which both compete for cysteine. These distinct taxonomic and functional clusters may provide a framework to further analyze interactions between the intestinal microbiome and the immune function and health of neonatal calves.IMPORTANCEDietary interventions to manipulate neonatal gut microbiota have been proposed to generate long-term impacts on hosts. Currently, our understanding of the early gut microbiome of neonatal calves is limited to 16S rRNA gene amplicon based microbial profiling, which is a barrier to developing dietary interventions to improve calf gut health. The use of a metagenome sequencing-based approach in the present study revealed high individual animal variation in taxonomic and functional abundance of intestinal microbiome and potential impacts of early microbiome on mucosal immune responses during the preweaning period. During this developmental period, age- and diet-related changes in microbial diversity, richness, density, and the abundance of taxa and functions were observed. A correlation-based approach to further explore the individual animal variation revealed potential enterotypes that can be linked to calf gut health, which may pave the way to developing strategies to manipulate the microbiome and improve calf health.



2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 346
Author(s):  
Anita Bálint ◽  
Klaudia Farkas ◽  
Orsolya Méhi ◽  
Bálint Kintses ◽  
Bálint Márk Vásárhelyi ◽  
...  

Gut microbial composition alters in some special situations, such as in ulcerative colits (UC) after total proctocolectomy and ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) surgery. The aim of our study was to determine the composition of the intestinal microbiome in UC patients after IPAA surgery, compared with UC patients, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) patients after IPAA surgery and healthy controls. Clinical data of patients, blood and faecal samples were collected. Faecal microbiota structure was determined by sequencing the V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene. Overall, 56 patients were enrolled. Compared to the Healthy group, both the Pouch active and UC active groups had higher Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcaceae and Pasteurellaceae abundance. The Pouch and UC groups showed distinct separation based on their alpha and beta bacterial diversities. The UC group had higher Prevotellaceae, Rikenellaceae, Ruminococcaceae abundance compared to the Pouch active group. Pouch and FAP participants showed similar bacterial community composition. There was no significant difference in the bacterial abundance between the active and inactive subgroups of the Pouch or UC groups. Gut microbiome and anatomical status together construct a functional unit that has influence on diversity, in addition to intestinal inflammation that is a part of the pathomechanism in UC.



Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tretola ◽  
Luciano ◽  
Ottoboni ◽  
Baldi ◽  
Pinotti

In this study, common cereal grains were partially replaced by former foodstuffs products (FFPs) in post-weaning piglets’ diets, to investigate how these alternative ingredients influence the faecal microbiota in the post-weaning period. Twelve post-weaning piglets were housed for 16 days in individual pens and were then fed two diets: a standard wheat-barley-corn meal diet and a diet containing 30% FFPs, thus partially substituting conventional cereals. The growth performance was monitored and faecal microbiota was characterized by the next generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The results showed no detrimental effects on growth performance when FFPs were used. However, the FFP diet decreased the bacterial richness and evenness in the large intestine, while minor differences were observed in the taxa composition. The core microbiota composition was only slightly affected, and no differences between the two groups in the gut microbiota composition at the phylum level over time were observed. Thus, although these results should be interpreted with caution, as they are case-specific, FFPs can be potentially used as alternative carbohydrate sources in post-weaning piglets, but further investigations are necessary to clarify their impact on gut health when used for a longer period.



2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 2540
Author(s):  
Cecilia Johansson ◽  
Christian Kampmann ◽  
Anna Nilsson ◽  
Johan Dicksved ◽  
Lars Engstrand ◽  
...  

Campylobacter jejuni fecal isolates of eight international travelers, 5 of which had traveled to Ecuador and 3 to Bangladesh, were characterized, and the possible relationship between bacterial traits and clinical symptoms was further analyzed. All eight isolates belonged to the same Multi-Locus Sequence Type clonal complex (ST353CC). The three isolates from Bangladesh were all of the same sequence type (ST-9438), and when compared to isolates of various other sequence types, they had a larger quantity of unique genetic content, higher expression levels of some putative virulence genes involved in adhesion and invasion (flpA, ciaB and iamA), and showed higher adhesion levels to human HT-29 colon cancer cells in an in vitro infection model. However, in contrast to the seemingly higher pathogenic potential of these bacterial isolates, travelers infected with the ST-9438 isolates had no or only very mild symptoms, whereas the other individuals, whose bacterial isolates seemed to have less pathogenic potential, generally reported severe symptoms. When studying the 16S rRNA gene-based fecal microbiota in samples collected prior to travel, there was an individual variation in the relative abundance of the three major bacterial phyla Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, but there were no associations between composition and diversity of microbiota and development of severe symptoms from the infection. It remains to be confirmed by larger studies whether an individual’s characteristics such as gut microbiota, might be related to the severity of symptoms in Campylobacter infections.



Author(s):  
Blake W. Stamps ◽  
Janelle Kuroiwa ◽  
Sandra D. Isidean ◽  
Megan A. Schilling ◽  
Clayton Harro ◽  
...  

Campylobacter jejuni infection is a leading cause of foodborne disease, common to children, adult travelers, and military populations in low- to middle-income countries. In the absence of a licensed vaccine, efforts to evaluate prophylactic agents are underway. The prophylactic efficacy of a twice-daily, 550 mg dose of the antibiotic rifaximin demonstrated no efficacy against campylobacteriosis in a controlled human infection model (CHIM); however, samples from the CHIM study were utilized to assess how the human gut microbiome responds to C. jejuni infection, and if a ‘protective’ microbiota exists in study participants not developing campylobacteriosis. Statistically significant, but minor, differences in study participant beta diversity were identified during the challenge period (p = 0.002, R2 = 0.042), but no significant differences were otherwise observed. Pre-challenge alpha diversity was elevated in study participants who did not develop campylobacteriosis compared to those who did (p &lt; 0.001), but alpha diversity declined in all study participants from the pre-challenge period to post-discharge. Our work provides insight into gut microbiome shifts observed during a C. jejuni CHIM and following antibiotic treatment. This study utilized a high dose of 1.7 x 105 colony-forming units of C. jejuni; future work could include CHIM studies performed with inocula more closely mimicking natural exposure as well as field studies involving naturally-occurring enteric infections.



Life ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 254
Author(s):  
Ying Wang ◽  
Jianqing Zhu ◽  
Jie Fang ◽  
Li Shen ◽  
Shuojia Ma ◽  
...  

We characterized the gut microbial composition and relative abundance of gut bacteria in the larvae and adults of Pieris canidia by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The gut microbiota structure was similar across the life stages and sexes. The comparative functional analysis on P. canidia bacterial communities with PICRUSt showed the enrichment of several pathways including those for energy metabolism, immune system, digestive system, xenobiotics biodegradation, transport, cell growth and death. The parameters often used as a proxy of insect fitness (development time, pupation rate, emergence rate, adult survival rate and weight of 5th instars larvae) showed a significant difference between treatment group and untreated group and point to potential fitness advantages with the gut microbiomes in P. canidia. These data provide an overall view of the bacterial community across the life stages and sexes in P. canidia.



2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (01) ◽  
pp. 046-050
Author(s):  
Alireza Taghdisi ◽  
Sajjad Hejazi

Introduction Increasing the immune system's function of fighting infectious diseases is very important in the poultry industry. Ginger, scientifically known as Zingiber officinale, belongs to the Zingiberaceae family. The use of ginger in the diet of poultry increases serum levels of superoxide dismutase enzymes and glutathione peroxidase, which are considered to be important antioxidant enzymes. The main objective of the present study is to evaluate the effect of ginger on the spleen tissue of broiler chickens. Material and Methods The specimens comprised 2 groups of 20 Ross breed broiler chicks, for 42 days and were then, examined and tested. The diet was supplemented with 1 g/kg of ginger powder from the beginning of the rearing period. Blood samples of the chicks were randomly collected to measure the levels of hemagglutination (HI). The removed spleens were fixed with 10% formalin buffer. The specimens were cut in 5-micron diameters and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Results and Conclusion There was a statistically significant difference in the mean of HI blood titers between the chicks in the growth period and final period groups (p < 0.05). The white-pulp tissue samples were more clearly seen in the treatment group than in the control group, and also, it was observed that the wall of the central artery of the white pulp was thicker in the ginger-treated group as compared with the control group. The nutritional value of ginger may vary. Thus, it is necessary to investigate the effect of this plant final on weight gain; the serum factors associated with the metabolic chart, and the response of the immune system to this plant.



Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 814
Author(s):  
Münir Aktaş ◽  
Sezayi Özübek ◽  
Mehmet Can Uluçeşme

Anaplasma phagocytophilum causes tick-borne fever in small ruminants. Recently, novel Anaplasma variants related to A. phagocytophilum have been reported in ruminants from Tunisia, Italy, South Korea, Japan, and China. Based on 16S rRNA and groEL genes and sequencing, we screened the frequency of A. phagocytophilum and related variants in 433 apparently healthy small ruminants in Turkey. Anaplasma spp. overall infection rates were 27.9% (121/433 analyzed samples). The frequency of A. phagocytophilum and A. phagocytophilum-like 1 infections was 1.4% and 26.5%, respectively. No A. phagocytophilum-like 2 was detected in the tested animals. The prevalence of Anaplasma spp. was comparable in species, and no significant difference was detected between sheep and goats, whereas the prevalence significantly increased with tick infestation. Sequencing confirmed PCR-RFLP data and showed the presence of A. phagocytophilum and A. phagocytophilum-like-1 variant in the sampled animals. Phylogeny-based on 16S rRNA gene revealed the A. phagocytophilum-like 1 in a separate clade together with the previous isolates detected in small ruminants and ticks. In this work, A. phagocytophilum-like 1 has been detected for the first time in sheep and goats from Turkey. This finding revealed that the variant should be considered in the diagnosis of caprine and ovine anaplasmosis.



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