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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #199927
Title: Molecular Epidemiology, Gastrointestinal Ecology and Development of Antibiotic Alternative Interventions for Commensal Human Food-Borne Bacterial Pathogens in Poultry

Author
item Seal, Bruce
item Siragusa, Gregory
item Hiett, Kelli
item Stern, Norman
item Line, John

Submitted to: Genomes, Medicine and the Environment Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/10/2006
Publication Date: 10/16/2006
Citation: Seal, B.S., Siragusa, G.R., Hiett, K.L., Stern, N.J., Line, J.E. 2006. Molecular Epidemiology, Gastrointestinal Ecology and Development of Antibiotic Alternative Interventions for Commensal Human Food-Borne Bacterial Pathogens in Poultry. Genomes, Medicine and the Environment Meeting. p 34.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp., and Clostridium perfringens, the three leading causes of human bacterial food-borne illness, are commonly associated with normal poultry gastrointestinal flora. Our research unit correlated rep-PCR analysis to serological typing of Salmonella spp. and source-tracking for Clostridium perfringens. Using suppressive-subtraction hybridization, gene content analyses with microarrays and proteomics genes or associated gene products were identified that may promote or reduce colonization of Campylobacter jejuni in the chicken. Microbial ecology of the chicken gastrointestinal tract was assayed utilizing real-time PCR demonstrating quantitative differences among the microbial populations in the presence or absence of antibiotic growth promoters. Furthermore, in conjunction with Russian collaborators investigators in the unit have developed bacteriocins (anti-bacterial peptides) and identified bacteriophages as potentially effective intervention strategies for alternatives to antibiotics in animal feeds. This was accomplished by assaying bacteria, such as Paenibacillus polymyxa, for anti-Campylobacter spp. replication and by isolating lytic bacteriophage specific for Campylobacter spp. and Clostridium perfringens from poultry processing plants and sewage. The bacteriophages have DNA genomes that are approximately 50-60kb in size that potentially encode lytic enzymes for host bacteria.