title: Campylobacter infection in chickens modulates the intestinal epithelial barrier function.
abstract: Asymptomatic carriage of Campylobacter jejuni is highly prevalent in chicken flocks. Thus, we investigated whether chronic Campylobacter carriage affects chicken intestinal functions despite the absence of clinical symptoms. An experiment was carried out in which commercial chickens were orally infected with C. jejuni (1 × 10(8) CFU/bird) at 14 days of life. Changes in ion transport and barrier function were assessed by short-circuit current (I(sc)) and transepithelial ion conductance (G(t)) in Ussing chambers. G(t) increased in cecum and colon of Campylobacter-infected chicken 7 d post-infection (DPI), whereas G t initially decreased in the jejunum at 7 DPI and increased thereafter at 14 DPI. The net charge transfer across the epithelium was reduced or tended to be reduced in all segments, as evidenced by a decreased I sc. Furthermore, the infection induced intestinal histomorphological changes, most prominently including a decrease in villus height, crypt depth and villus surface area in the jejunum at 7 DPI. Furthermore, body mass gain was decreased by Campylobacter carriage. This study demonstrates, for the first time, changes in the intestinal barrier function in Campylobacter-infected chickens and these changes were associated with a decrease in growth performance in otherwise healthy-appearing birds.
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Poultry and Fish Medicine, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria wageha.awad@vetmeduni.ac.at.
authors.forename: Wageha A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Awad
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science and Animal Husbandry, Georgikon Faculty, University of Pannonia, Keszthely, Hungary.
authors.forename: Andor
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molnár
authors.affiliation: Institute of Veterinary Physiology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörg R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Aschenbach
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Nutrition and Functional Plant Compounds, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria Department of Animal Hygiene, Behaviour and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt.
authors.forename: Khaled
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ghareeb
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Poultry and Fish Medicine, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Basel
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Khayal
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Poultry and Fish Medicine, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Poultry and Fish Medicine, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liebhart
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science and Animal Husbandry, Georgikon Faculty, University of Pannonia, Keszthely, Hungary.
authors.forename: Károly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dublecz
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Poultry and Fish Medicine, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hess
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D001835:Body Weight; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000502:physiology*; D002353:Carrier State; D002432:Cecum / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*; D002645:Chickens; D003106:Colon / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D017136:Ion Transport / Q000502:physiology; D007583:Jejunum / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Campylobacter jejuni; Ussing chamber; chickens; intestinal barrier; intestinal permeability