Cecal microbiota of commercial chickens (Gallus Gallus domesticus): 1. Preventive action on Salmonella spp. colonization. 2. Cecal microflora of birds infected by Salmonella spp.

• Grant number: 23/12978-7
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Angelo Berchieri Junior
• Grantee: Angelo Berchieri Junior
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Mauro de Mesquita Souza Saraiva ; Oliveiro Caetano de Freitas Neto

Abstract

Probiotic products have been included in the poultry diet to improve the intestinal quality and also, for trying to prevent intestinal colonization by those Salmonella serotypes involved in foodborne diseases. They are well accepted as a promoter of good quality of the intestinal environment, but they cannot ensure the protection against intestinal salmonellosis as was obtained using the content of caecal material from adult birds. We know that serial dilution of the caecal contents may prevent intestinal colonization by Salmonella spp. Although this procedure should result in decreasing of the number of microorganism present, the diluted culture is still able to impede intestinal salmonellosis. Therefore, this project will be carried out to ensure that serial dilution of faecal material may prevent intestinal colonization by enteric Salmonella serotype. The culture of cecal material will be given to day-old commercial birds that will be challenge in the next day by Salmonella Heidelberg (SH). Two, 5-, 7-, 14- and 21-days post infection, SH will be estimate in birds from all groups. Also, two times a week, cloacal swabs of the 15 birds per group will be done. In addition, the microbial contents of the aerobic and anaerobic cultures used to prevent SH infection in chickens will be investigated by DNA sequencing using nanopore technology. The same method will be applied for search of the microorganisms present in cecal contents of infected and non-infected birds by SH at different intervals of time after challenge. In addition, the serial cultures of cecal contents will be assessed on Salmonella serotypes Enteritidis, Typhimurium and Infantis. (AU)