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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #208962
Title: Intestinal Cytokine Responses to Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Infection in Young Chicks

Author
item FASINA, YEWANDE - AUBURN, AL
item Holt, Peter
item MORAN, ERWIN - AUBURN, AL
item Moore, Randle
item CONNER, DONALD - AUBURN,AL
item MCKEE, SHELLY - AUBURN, AL

Submitted to: Developmental and Comparative Immunology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/6/2008
Publication Date: 7/1/2008
Citation: Fasina, Y.O., Holt, P.S., Moran, E.T., Moore, R.W., Conner, D.E., Mckee, S.R. 2008. Intestinal Cytokine Responses to Salmonella Typhimurium Infection. Poultry Science. 87:1335-1346.

Interpretive Summary: Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium is one of the most frequently isolated strains in human salmonellosis worldwide, and is commonly found in broilers. As this organism begins its infection in the intestinal tract of broilers, an indepth understanding of the immune responses of intestinal surfaces will enable researchers and producers to develop more effective immunological control measures against this organism. Immune cells communicate between each other via protein signals called cytokines and the strength of an immune response is moderated by these signals. A study was conducted which studied the elicitation of different cytokine signals in young broiler chicks infected with S. typhimurium. Five days following infection, up to a 3.5-fold increase in cytokine expression was observed and at 10 days, increases in expression of the cytokines interleukin 6 and interferon gamma resulted in a concomitant decrease of Salmonella levels in the intestine. Intestinal infection therefore results in an increase in expression of cytokines in the gut which appear to be helpful in reducing intestinal Salmonella levels.

Technical Abstract: Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium is one of the most frequently isolated strains in human salmonellosis worldwide, and is commonly found in broilers. Successful prevention and control of Salmonella colonization in poultry require better understanding of intestinal mucosal immune response to the pathogen, which is mediated in part by cytokines. An experiment was conducted to determine the changes in intestinal cytokine expression in commercial-type chickens infected with Salmonella typhimurium at 4 days old. Expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1', IL-6, IFNgamma and IL-8) and anti-inflammatory IL-10 were determined at 5 and 10 days post-challenge. At 5 days post-challenge, expression of proinflammatory cytokines increased by up to 3.5 fold compared to the uninfected chicks. At 10 days post-challenge, increases in fold change of IL-6 and IFNgamma was paralleled with a concomitant reduction in total intestinal Salmonella. It was concluded that Salmonella typhimurium infection induced an inflammatory intestinal immune response in commercial-type chicks.