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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #209825
Title: Immune stimulatory CpG oligodeoxynucleotides reduces Salmonella enterica subsp. Arizonae organ colonization and mortality in young turkeys

Author
item He, Louis
item Genovese, Kenneth - Ken
item Swaggerty, Christina - Christi
item Kogut, Michael - Mike

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/2/2007
Publication Date: 7/8/2007
Citation: He, H., Genovese, K.J., Swaggerty, C.L., Kogut, M.H. 2007. Immune stimulatory CpG oligodeoxynucleotides reduces Salmonella enterica subsp. Arizonae organ colonization and mortality in young turkeys [abstract]. Poultry Science. 86:300.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) containing CpG dinucleotides (CpG ODN) mimic bacterial DNA and are stimulatory to the innate immune system of most vertebrate species. The immunostimulatory activities of CpG ODN have been studied extensively and are well characterized in human and murine immune cells. However, information on immune responses of avian species to CpG ODN is limited. We have previously investigated immune stimulatory activities of CpG ODN in turkey immune cells. Here, we have further demonstrated that immune stimulatory CpG ODN increases resistance of young turkeys to Salmonella infection. In this study, the newly hatched turkeys, obtained from a commercial source, were given CpG-ODNs or a control ODN that does not contain CpG motif at 50 ug/bird via intra-peritoneal (i.p.) injection. Twenty-four hours after the CpG-ODN treatments, turkeys were challenged with live Salmonella enterica subsp. Arizonae (SEA) (suspended in PBS). For the organ colonization experiment, 0.5-1x10**7 cfu/bird was given orally, and for the mortality experiment, 0.5-1x10**7 cfu/bird was given via i.p. injection. Twenty-four hours after the oral SEA challenge, birds were euthanized with CO2 and liver and spleen were aseptically removed from each bird and cultured for colonization of SEA. The mortality was monitored for a period of 7 days after i.p. SEA challenge. A significant reduction (p<0.05) of organ invasion by SEA was observed in turkeys pretreated with CpG-ODNs containing the immunostimulatory GTCGTT motif. These CpG-ODNs also significantly reduced mortality of turkeys with acute peritoneal infection of SEA. Our study provides evidence that immunostimulatory CpG-ODN stimulated innate immune activities and enhanced the resistance to infectious pathogens in neonatal turkeys.