Protection of Broiler Chickens Against Necrotic Enteritis by Intrapulmonary Delivery of a Live Clostridium perfringens Vaccine Exploiting the Gut-Lung-Axis Concept.

(CP)-induced necrotic enteritis (NE) is an economically important disease in the broiler chicken industry. The incidence of NE is common in 3-to-6-wk-old broiler chickens, once maternal antibodies start declining. Developing an effective vaccination strategy against NE, preferably delivering a single dose of vaccine at hatch to protect broiler chickens against NE without a booster vaccine, is an enormous challenge.

Induction of trained immunity in broiler chickens following delivery of oligodeoxynucleotide containing CpG motifs to protect against Escherichia coli septicemia.

Oligodeoxynucleotides containing CpG motifs (CpG-ODN) can promote antimicrobial immunity in chickens by enriching immune compartments and activating immune cells. Innate memory, or trained immunity, has been demonstrated in humans and mice, featuring the absence of specificity to the initial stimulus and subsequently cross-protection against pathogens. We hypothesize that CpG-ODN can induce trained immunity in chickens.

Oligodeoxynucleotides containing CpG motifs upregulate bactericidal activities of heterophils and enhance immunoprotection of neonatal broiler chickens against Salmonella Typhimurium septicemia.

In the past, we demonstrated that oligodeoxynucleotides containing CpG motifs (CpG-ODN) mimicking bacterial DNA, stimulate the innate immune system of neonatal broiler chickens and protect them against Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) septicemia. The first line of innate immune defense mechanism is formed by heterophils and plays a critical protective role against bacterial septicemia in avian species.

Exploring the predictive power of jejunal microbiome composition in clinical and subclinical necrotic enteritis caused by Clostridium perfringens: insights from a broiler chicken model.

Background: Necrotic enteritis (NE) is a severe intestinal infection that affects both humans and poultry. It is caused by the bacterium Clostridium perfringens (CP), but the precise mechanisms underlying the disease pathogenesis remain elusive. This study aims to develop an NE broiler chicken model, explore the impact of the microbiome on NE pathogenesis, and study the virulence of CP isolates with different toxin gene combinations.