Presence of antibodies against campylobacter flagellar capping proteins versus campylobacter jejuni isolation in broilers

Authors: Yeh, Hung-Yueh

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/10/2016
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: none

Technical Abstract: Campylobacter jejuni is the leading foodborne pathogen that causes human acute bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. Human cases have been linked to consumption and/or handling of contaminated poultry products. Although Campylobacter jejuni is commonly regarded as a commensal in broiler cecal microbiome, this microorganism triggers host immune responses. Our previous studies found seroprevalence of antibodies against the Campylobacter jejuni flagellar capping protein (FliD) in older broilers from commercial poultry farms. However, whether Campylobacter jejuni could be isolated from the antibody-positive broilers was not known. In this presentation, we used broilers that were raised in an environmentally controlled house according to the standard brooding and growing guidelines. At seven weeks of age, both blood for immunoblot analysis and cecal content for direct microbiological plating were collected from broilers according to the standard protocols. All bacterial cultures were negative for Campylobacter jejuni. However, sera from 22 out of 34 broilers reacted to the Campylobacter jejuni FliD protein. These findings in this study provide us with a rationale for further evaluation of the roles of antibodies in excretion of Campylobacter jejuni.