In vitro characteristics of Lactobacillus spp. strains isolated from the chicken digestive tract and their role in the inhibition of Campylobacter colonization

Abstract

Campylobacter jejuni/coli infections are the leading cause of bacterial diarrheal illnesses in humans. Many epidemiological studies indicate that improperly prepared meat from chickens that carry a high load of Campylobacter in their intestinal tracts is the key source of human infections. LAB, mainly members of the Lactococcus and Lactobacillus genera, increasingly have been tested as vehicles for the delivery of heterologous bacterial or viral antigens to animal mucosal immune systems. Thus, the objective of this study was to isolate, identify, and characterize Lactobacillus spp. strains isolated from chickens bred in Poland. Their ability to decrease the level of bird gut colonization by C. jejuni strain was also analyzed. First, the influence of the different chicken rearing systems was evaluated, especially the effect of diets on the Lactobacillus species that colonize the gut of chickens. Next, selected strains were analyzed in terms of their anti‐Campylobacter activity in vitro; potential probiotic traits such as adhesion properties, bile and low pH tolerance; and their ability to grow on a defined carbon source. Given that improperly prepared chicken meat is the main source of human infection by Campylobacter, the selected strains were also assessed for their ability to inhibit Campylobacter colonization in the bird's intestine. These experiments revealed enormous physiological diversity among the Lactobacillus genus strains. Altogether, our results showed that L. plantarum strains isolated from the digestive tracts of chickens bred in Poland displayed some probiotic attributes in vitro and were able to decrease the level of bird gut colonization by C. jejuni strain. This suggests that they can be employed as vectors to deliver Campylobacter immunodominant proteins to the bird's immune system to strengthen the efficacy of in ovo vaccination.

Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from the Gastrointestinal Tract of Ethiopian Rhode Island Red Chicken and their Potential Use as Probiotics

“…In previous studies, various species of probiotic bacteria such as L. reuteri [19,20], L. salivarius [19,21,16,22], Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus durans [22]were isolated from chicken digestive tract. In the present study, four LAB isolates namely, IS3, IS4, IS6 and IS7 were identified based on sequence analysis of 16S rRNA gene.…”

“…The probiotics strains should have a property to grow and survive in the host digestive system as they exposed to a range of stressful conditions in the GIT which includes lower pH and high bile salt [26].The ability of probiotic strains to act as probiotics is also determined by the ability to survive in the low pH of the stomach and in the high concentration of bile salt of the gastrointestinal tract [19].…”

Advancements In Developing Anti-Campylobacter Vaccine For Poultry

“…Duże zainteresowanie zyskało także stosowanie probiotyków jako środka zapobiegania lub zmniejszania częstości występowania infekcji Campylobacter u drobiu [82]. Obiecujące wyniki otrzymały zespoły Konkel i Jagusztyn-Krynickiej [47,65]. Zaobserwowali oni, że podanie kurczętom szczepów z rodzaju Lactobacillus, tj.…”

“…Odmienne wyniki otrzymała grupa badawcza Jagusztyn-Krynickiej. Prototypy szczepionek powstałe w oparciu o liposomy zawierające immunogenne białko lub pęcherzyki błony zewnętrznej podane in ovo znacząco obniżały poziom kolonizacji jelit ślepych przez pałeczki Campylobacter [28,47].…”

Silage and haylage as forage in slow and fast-growing broilers – effects on performance in Campylobacter jejuni infected birds

“…In theory, the use of silage as feed to organic broilers would combine all of these effects. In addition, it has been reported that provision of water inoculated with L. plantarum might decrease the level of C. jejuni colonisation in the bird's gut (Kobierecka et al 2017). Supplementing birds' drinking water with LAB in order to inhibit the growth and survival of C. jejuni, could be a promising strategy to reduce the load of C. jejuni in conventional broiler production.…”