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

Abstract

Campylobacteriosis is mainly caused by infection with Campylobacter jejuni following consumption or handling of Campylobacter-contaminated poultry meat. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of probiotic Enterococcus faecium AL41 on TGF-β4 and IL-17 expression and on immunocompetent cell distribution after C. jejuni infection in broiler chicken, as a second part of the previous study of Karaffová et al. (2017). Accordingly, day-old chicks were randomly divided into four experimental groups of 10 chicks each (n = 10): control (C), E. faecium AL41 (EFAL41), C. jejuni CCM6191 (CJ), and combined E. faecium AL41 + C. jejuni CCM6191 (EFAL41 + CJ). Samples from the caecum were collected on days 4 and 7 post Campylobacter infection (dpi), for the isolation of mRNA of TGF-β4, IL-17 and for immunohistochemistry. The relative mRNA expression of TGF-β4 was upregulated in the combined (EFAL41 + CJ) group compared to other groups during both samplings, but the expression of IL-17 was downregulated. Similarly, the highest density of CD3+ was detected in the combined group at 7 dpi, but the number of IgA+ cells was increased in both groups with EFAL41. It was concluded that the EFAL41 probiotic E. faecium strain can modulate the expression of selected cytokines (upregulation of TGF-β4 but downregulation of IL-17 relative expression), and activate IgA-producing cells in the caeca of chicks infected with C. jejuni CCM6191.

Effects of the Probiotic Enterococcus faecium on Muscle Characteristics of Chickens

“…Birds of the treatment group were inoculated with the probiotic strain Enterococcus faecium (E. faecium) AL41 (CCM 8558) as described by Zitnan et al [49]. The probiotic strain E. faecium AL41 (EF) was grown as described by Letnická et al [50]. From the first to the seventh day of the experiment, a suspension with 10 9 colony-forming units of EF in 0.2 mL PBS was applied to every chicken of the treatment group per os.…”

Probiotic as Immune Modulator; A New Trend in Medication

“…Recently, E. faecium AL41 a probiotic was proposed to effective against infections of Campylobacter jejuniin the chickens. The E. faecium causes the modulation of TGF-β4 and down regulate the IL-17 expression and activates the cells of IgA production in an infection of C. jejuniin chicks caeca ( (Letnická et al, 2017). The trearment with L. rhamnosus RC007 in mice for 10 days enhances the macrophages phagocytic activity and the IgA cells of lamina in small intestine also increases.…”