Assessing the impact of bacteriophages in the treatment of Salmonella in broiler chickens

Abstract

Salmonellosis is one of the main bacterial infections affecting commercial poultry, causing losses to poultry production, and posing a public health concern.Samples from internal organs (liver, cecum and spleen) of one hundred diseased broiler chickens were collected and subjected to Salmonella isolation, identification and serotyping. S. typhimurium and S. enteritidis were selected from the isolated Salmonella to prepare bacteriophages from sewage water taken at broiler farms. An experimental infection of one day old specific pathogen free (SPF) chicks followed by treatment with the prepared bacteriophages isolated from both Salmonella was performed. Caecal samples from infected chicks were subjected at intervals to bacteriophage isolation and Salmonella quantitation. The effectiveness of bacteriophage treatments on Salmonella colonization in cecum of infected chicks increased after five successive doses. At 3 day post infection (dpi), cecal contents showed a marginal decrease in Salmonella loads with more reduction at 5 dpi. From 7 dpi to the end of the experiment at 15 dpi, all the chicks were cleared for both Salmonella.The findings of this study demonstrate that bacteriophage treatment is efficacious in reducing S. typhimurium and S. enteritidis colonization in broiler chickens within a short period and could be used as an alternative to antibiotics.

Comprehensive Evaluation of the Safety and Efficacy of BAFASAL® Bacteriophage Preparation for the Reduction of Salmonella in the Food Chain

“…Moreover, Borie et al reported a significant reduction in Salmonella Enteritidis incidence in experimentally infected chickens treated with a combination of three different bacteriophages in drinking water [82]. The effectiveness of bacteriophage treatments was also confirmed by Nabil et al, who demonstrated the decrease in Salmonella colonization in the cecum of infected chickens after administration of five phage doses [83].…”

Evaluation of the efficiency of using Salmonella Kentucky and Escherichia coli O119 bacteriophages in the treatment and prevention of salmonellosis and colibacillosis in broiler chickens

“…2010; Nabil et al . 2018). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to use bacteriophages in reducing colonization by S .…”

“…Host strains were prepared in the mid‐exponential phase as outlined by Nabil et al . (2018) using buffer peptone broth (Oxoid Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., UK). The filtered samples (4·5 ml) were mixed with 0·5 ml mid‐exponential phase bacterial cultures and 0·5 ml buffer peptone broth and incubated at 37°C for 24 h. After incubation, five drops of chloroform were added to the mixture and centrifuged at 11 200 g for 10 min.…”

Last Call for Replacement of Antimicrobials in Animal Production: Modern Challenges, Opportunities, and Potential Solutions

“…positively correlates with the number of new studies on potential phage therapy against these microorganisms [ 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 ]. In terms of the importance of phage therapy against Salmonella spp., mainly targeting such zoonotic serotypes as Enteritidis, Typhimurium, and Hadar [ 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 ], the main assumption is the preventive action will counteract colonization and reduce the excretion of these microorganisms into the environment through feces and prevent vertical infection in the case of poultry [ 83 , 86 , 87 , 88 ]. Colibacillosis occurs in all productive groups of animals and has many different forms, ranging from intestinal infections, respiratory syndromes, nervous system infections, and systemic infections (septicemia) to clinical or subclinical mastitis in cattle [ 85 , 89 ].…”