EVALUATION OF SALMONELLA ENTERITIDIS-IMMUNE LYMPHOKINES ON HOST RESISTANCE TO SALMONELLA GALLINARUM INFECTION IN BROILER CHICKS

Authors: Kogut, Michael - Mike; TELLEZ, GUILLERMO - UNAM, CD UNIVERSITARIA DF; MCGRUDER, EDWARD - TEXAS A&M UNIV; WONG, R - TEXAS A&M UNIV.; ISIBASI, V - CENTRO MEDICO NACIONAL; ORTIZ, V - CENTRO MEDICO NACIONAL; Hargis, Billy; Deloach, John

Submitted to: Journal Of Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/12/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Studies from our laboratory have shown that products (lymphokines) from the T-lymphocytes of chickens immune to Salmonella entertidis (SE) can offer protection to baby chicks against SE infection. Salmonella gallinarum (SG) is a very serious disease-causing bacterium of chickens in Mexico, Latin America, and South America costing the poultry industries of these countries millions of dollars annually. The objective of this experiment was to determine whether lymphokines from SE-immune chickens can protect baby chicks from SG infections. The results of this experiment showed that lymphokines from SE-immune chickens could protect baby chicks from SG infections during the first 10 days of life, but these lymphokines can also help the chicks grow normally during this time. These results are important to the poultry industry of the world because the introduction of these lymphokines into baby chicks protect the chicks against a very deadly form of Salmonella during the first 10 days of life. Additionally, the lymphokines seem to make the chicks infected with SG grow better than those without lymphokines.

Technical Abstract: The prophylactic treatment of neonatal broiler chicks with lymphokines derived from S. enteritidis (SE)-immunized chickens (SE-ILK) was evaluated for their effect on the birds resistance to an experimental infection with the causative agent of fowl typhoid, S. gallinarum (SG). On the day of hatch, chicks were administered intraperitoneally (i.p.) .5 mL of either SE-ILK or control nonimmune lymphokines (NILK). Thirty min. later, all chicks were gavaged with either 10**4 cfu of 10**6 cfu SG. For 10 days after challenge, the chicks were observed twice daily for morbidity and mortality. Chicks that died during the experiment had their livers cultured for SG. Chicks that survived throughout the 10-day experimental period were killed, and their livers, spleens, and cecal tonsils were cultured for SG. The prophylactic treatment of chickens with SE-ILK induced significant protection against extraintestinal SG infection when compared to NILK as evidenced by: significant reduction (P<.005) in the mortality of chicks challenged with either 10**4 and 10**6 cfu SG; increased average weight gains of chicks challenged with either 10**4 and 10**6 cfu SG (15 g and 33 g, respectively); and a significant (P<.001) reduction in the number of SG-organ-culture positive chicks. The results suggest that the prophylactic administration of SE-ILK can significantly reduce the morbidity, mortality, and organ infectivity of SG in broiler chicks while enhancing performance during the first ten days of life.