Modulation of the Immune Response to Improve Health and Reduce Foodborne Pathogens in Poultry

Abstract

Salmonella and Campylobacter are the two leading causes of bacterial-induced foodborne illness in the US. Food production animals including cattle, swine, and chickens are transmission sources for both pathogens. The number of Salmonella outbreaks attributed to poultry has decreased. However, the same cannot be said for Campylobacter where 50–70% of human cases result from poultry products. The poultry industry selects heavily on performance traits which adversely affects immune competence. Despite increasing demand for poultry, regulations and public outcry resulted in the ban of antibiotic growth promoters, pressuring the industry to find alternatives to manage flock health. One approach is to incorporate a program that naturally enhances/modulates the bird’s immune response. Immunomodulation of the immune system can be achieved using a targeted dietary supplementation and/or feed additive to alter immune function. Science-based modulation of the immune system targets ways to reduce inflammation, boost a weakened response, manage gut health, and provide an alternative approach to prevent disease and control foodborne pathogens when conventional methods are not efficacious or not available. The role of immunomodulation is just one aspect of an integrated, coordinated approach to produce healthy birds that are also safe and wholesome products for consumers.

Control of avian influenza in China: Strategies and lessons

“…Taken together, the ecosystems and socio-economic features of China are highly favourable for the spread of AIV, and we assume that the third and eighth factors given above have been critical for the increased risk of AIV spread in China over the past 30 years. Additionally, high-producing poultry breeds have become dominant in China, and their compromised immune function may also have played an important role in the epidemiology of AIV in China, as they are reported to be more sensitive to AIV than indigenous poultry breeds (van der Most, Jong, Parmentier, & Verhulst, 2011;Swaggerty, Callaway, Kogut, Piva, & Grilli, 2019).…”

Nature-Identical Compounds and Organic Acids Ameliorate and Prevent the Damages Induced by an Inflammatory Challenge in Caco-2 Cell Culture

“…So far, the alleged mechanism of action of OA and NIC as growth enhancers was mostly connected to their well-documented antimicrobial properties, thereby implicating a possible role of these compounds in modulating the intestinal microflora. On the other side, recent clues suggest that these compounds have a direct role in priming and boosting the host immune response [ 14 ].…”

Analysis of the Progeny of Sibling Matings Reveals Regulatory Variation Impacting the Transcriptome of Immune Cells in Commercial Chickens

“…There has therefore been a renewed interest in breeding for disease resistance and in the identification of markers of disease severity and prognosis. One novel strategy for improving disease resistance is based upon selective breeding of birds that display high levels of inducible pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL6 or the CXCL chemokines) in response to bacterial stimuli (Swaggerty et al, 2008; Swaggerty et al, 2016; Swaggerty et al, 2017; Swaggerty et al, 2019).…”