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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fayetteville, Arkansas » Poultry Production and Product Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #315063
Title: Novel method to identify probiotic isolates against enteric foodborne pathogens

Author
item Donoghue, Ann - Annie
item ARSI, KOMALA - University Of Arkansas
item WOO-MING, ANN - University Of Arkansas
item BLORE, PAMELA - University Of Arkansas
item DONOGHUE, DAN - University Of Arkansas

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/25/2015
Publication Date: 4/23/2015
Citation: Donoghue, A.M., Arsi, K., Woo-Ming, A., Blore, P.J., Donoghue, D.J. 2015. Novel method to identify probiotic isolates against enteric foodborne pathogens. [abstract]. International 8th Yakult Symposium, April 23-24,2015, Berlin, GE. pg. 38.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Campylobacter is the leading cause of foodborne illness worldwide, primarily caused by consumption of contaminated poultry products. One potential strategy to reduce Campylobacter colonization in poultry is by the use of oral probiotics, but this produces variable results, possibly due to destruction in the acidic stomach. Encapsulation of isolates may overcome this problem but there is no assurance these isolates will have efficacy in the lower GI tract. Therefore, screening candidate bacterial isolates by directly placing them in the lower intestinal tract may eliminate the time and expense of encapsulating ineffective isolates. This strategy of transplanting bacterial isolates (fecal transplantation) has been successfully used in humans to treat Clostridium difficile infections. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to collect bacterial isolates with anti-Campylobacter activity and evaluate their efficacy in vivo upon either oral or intra-cloacal (rectal) administration. Bacterial isolates were collected from healthy birds and screened for anti-Campylobacter activity in vitro by using the soft agar overlay technique. Ten isolates demonstrating anti-Campylobacter activity were either orally gavaged or administered intra-cloacally to 1-day old chicks at a dose of 1x10**7CFU per individual isolate (n=10/isolate/location, total 200 chicks). Birds were challenged with Campylobacter (orally gavaged) on day 7 and ceca were collected on day 14 for Campylobacter enumeration. When isolates were dosed orally, only one isolate showed a 1 log reduction in cecal Campylobacter counts, whereas when administered intra-cloacally, six of these isolates produced a 1-3 log reduction in cecal Campylobacter counts. These results demonstrate that bacterial isolates can be much more effective in competing with enteric pathogens when administered directly into the lower intestine. These results support the strategy of evaluating the efficacy of probiotic isolates via cloacal inoculation prior to undergoing the effort of protecting isolates (e.g., encapsulation) for oral administration to protect against enteric pathogens in animals.