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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Biosciences & Biotechnology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #320143
Title: Genetically disparate Fayoumi chicken lines show different response to avian Necrotic Enteritis

Author
item KIM, DUK KYUNG - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item Lillehoj, Hyun
item JANG, SEUNG IK - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item LEE, SUNG HYEN - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item HONG, YEONG HO - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item LAMONT, SUSAN - Iowa State University

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/20/2014
Publication Date: 1/20/2015
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/62614
Citation: Kim, D., Lillehoj, H.S., Jang, S., Lee, S., Hong, Y., Lamont, S. 2015. Genetically disparate Fayoumi chicken lines show different response to avian Necrotic Enteritis. Poultry Science. doi: 10.2141/jpsa.0140203.

Interpretive Summary: Necrotic enteritits (NE) is an intestinal disease of commercial poultry that afflicts the US industry with more than $ 2 billion in annual losses. NE has reemerged as a significant problem as a result of the growing restrictions of antibiotic use in agricultural animal production and increasing concerns over antibiotic resistance in human pathogens. To enhance our understanding of the host immune response to NE and to develop a logical prevention strategy against NE, ARS scientists collaborated with scientists at universities in the US and in Korea to identify immune related genes which are involved in host immune response to NE infection. Using genomics tools, NE-induced host genes were screened in two genetically disparate chickens showing different levels of NE disease susceptibility. The results led to the identification of several host genes and immune pathways associated with the enhanced level of resistance to NE. These results increased the understating of biological processes potentially involved in the resistance to the NE disease that will help facilitate the future dierection of developing an effective prevention method for industry, thereby, promoting the profitability of the poultry industry and addressing the food safety concerns of consumers.

Technical Abstract: Necrotic enteritis (NE) has reemerged as a significant problem as a result of growing restrictions of antibiotics in agricultural animal production and increasing concerns over antibiotic resistance in human pathogens. To enhance our understanding of host-pathogen immunobiology in NE, transcriptomic analysis was conducted to compare changes in NE-induced intestinal transcripts and to identify immune-related genes whose expression are associated with NE disease resistance using two genetically disparate Fayoumi chicken lines, M5.1 and M15.2. NE was induced by co-infection with E. maxima and C. perfringens using an established disease model. Two major NE-induced clinical signs, body weight loss and intestinal lesions, were measured in the two inbred Fayoumi chicken lines, M5.1 and M15.2. In the clinical criteria, line M5.1 chickens were more resistant to NE compared to line 15.2 birds. Although they have the same genetic background, these two chicken lines are genetically disparate at their MHC and this difference was reflected in the differential expression patterns of several inflammatory genes such as SOCS3, IL8, NFKBIZ, SERPINF1, and GJA1 between NE-afflicted and uninfected chickens. These results will lead to increased insights on the NE disease resistance mechanisms and the role of host genes controlling the host immune response to C.perfringens.