Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Food Safety and Enteric Pathogens Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #183016
Title: SALMONELLA AND CAMPYLOBACTER COLONIZATION IN THE CONTEXT OF MICROBIAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN THE CECA OF THE DOMESTIC TURKEY

Author
item Scupham, Alexandra
item Wesley, Irene

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/30/2005
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Salmonella and Campylobacter are the primary bacterial causes of food poisoning in the United States, and their primary reservoir is considered to be poultry. The primary areas of colonization in the poultry gut are the cloaca, small intestine, and paired ceca. Experimental colonization of newly hatched poultry with adult intestinal flora is protective against colonization, and bacteriocin production by members of the flora has been implicated. Many mechanisms for the competitive exclusion (CE) function are possible, including antagonism by bacteria, bacteriophage or fungi, and competition for colonization sites and nutrients. The predominant difficulty in development of CE cultures is the massive diversity of microbes associated with the gut. It has been estimated that between 1010 and 1011 microbes are present per gram of chicken cecal contents. The analysis of intestinal microflora is complicated by diversity between individuals and changes over time. While human intestinal communities are highly diverse between individuals, it is currently debated whether livestock born and raised in close contact are likely, in the early months of life, to develop similar intestinal communities that become increasingly unique and stabilizing with time. Development of Campylobacter colonization has been analyzed for free-range and organic chickens and DGGE analysis of total microbial gut communities has been performed, but not in concert. In this work, Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (ARISA) and real-time PCR were used to analyze the development of the bacterial and fungal communities in the cecal feces of turkeys, and place that development in the context of Campylobacter colonization of the ceca. Addition of Salmonella community analysis to these data is underway.