Location: Food and Feed Safety Research
Project Number: 3091-32000-037-074-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Apr 17, 2026
End Date: Apr 16, 2029
Objective:
Campylobacter spp. are zoonotic pathogens often isolated from poultry meat and eggs. While the disease usually causes a self limiting infection with fever and enteritis, it may be catastrophic to those individuals (infants, elderly, immune-suppressed) who do not have a strong immune system. The bacteria have also been implicated in diseases such as Guillain Barre syndrome, which causes temporary paralysis due to an autoimmune response against the myelin which insulates nerves. The objective of the proposed research is to better understand the pathogenesis of Campylobacter spp. and develop a novel means to eradicate these pathogens.
Approach:
1) The cooperator will utilize a new plate reader with a controlled atmosphere growth chamber to quickly and efficiently compare current medias to modifications found after an extensive literature search. Concentrations of chemicals and reagents will be evaluated using this highly efficient screening tool; 2) The cooperator will coordinate with poultry integrators to collect Campylobacter field strains. The cooperator will isolate samples from grocery stores and live bird markets in the Houston, TX, metroplex; 3) ARS will use novel strains found from field and retail samples to challenge broiler and layer chicks. ARS and the cooperator will evaluate gut colonization and morphology, innate, humoral, and cell mediated immunity with commercially available ELISAs and gene expression; 4) The cooperator will grow novel field strains under sub-optimal conditions to increase expression of immunogenic compounds. The sterile secretome will be isolated using filtration and ultracentrifugation. These products will be tested for efficacy in ARS conducted challenge trials; and 5) Commercially available and novel antibiotic alternatives will be tested in vitro and in vivo against the isolated field strains.