Grant: Alliance Grants

One of the strategic priorities of the Canadian broiler chicken industry is enhancing consumer trust in chicken meat by managing foodborne pathogens and antimicrobial use (AMU). Yolk sac infection is one of the major devastating disease problems of the broiler chicken industry in Canada. Preventative use of antibiotics has been discontinued in Canada; however, therapeutic use is still required to treat yolk sac infections in young chicks. The Canadian broiler chicken industry is transitioning to antimicrobial-free farming. We have demonstrated the use of an immunostimulator, a synthetic bacterial DNA molecule called "CpG-ODN" against yolk sac infections very effectively. The emergence of a bacterium called Enterococcus has been associated with yolk sac infections in the recent past in western Canadian broiler hatcheries as the most prevalent bacterial species followed by Escherichia. coli. Based on our new information regarding delivery of bacteria by noninvasive methods, we are proposing to introduce probiotics during incubation as a spray application on broiler hatching eggs. This novel approach will minimize pathogenic bacterial colonization in the intestine in newly hatched chicks. Novel results from our ongoing studies indicate that it is possible to train immune cells "innate memory or trained immunity" with CpG-ODNs in broiler chickens which will help disease control by directing memory responses of the immune cells against pathogens. We are proposing to potentiate immunomodulatory effects of probiotics in broiler chicken embryos with CpG-ODN mediated innate memory in neonates against bacterial infections of broiler chickens.