title: Differences in host breed and diet influence colonization byCampylobacter jejuniand induction of local immune responses in chicken.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chickens are regarded as the main reservoir for human campylobacteriosis. Little is known about the interaction betweenCampylobacter jejuni(C. jejuni) and chickens. This interaction may be influenced by the stage of maturation of the immune system, developing gut microbiota composition and other factors including breed and diet. Our aim was to investigate the impact of breed, and diet onC. jejunicolonization and host immune responses in chickens. Birds were inoculated with 104colony forming units (CFU) ofC. jejunior diluent at one (Exp. 1) or 22 (Exp. 2) days post hatch. We compared local immune cell subpopulations, cytokine expression levels, and gut microbiota composition between broiler-type (BT) and layer-type (LT) birds fed with either commercial broiler feed (bf) or layer feed (lf).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lower colonization rates were observed in the older age group independent of breed and diet. Independent of breed, birds fed with bf showed higher CFU ofC. jejunicompared to lf-fed groups.Campylobacter jejuni-inoculation had a significant effect on lymphocyte numbers and cytokine expression levels in BT birds independent of feeding strategy (p< 0.05). These effects were not detected in LT birds, only LT birds fed with bf showed a significant increase in IL-8-expression at 7 days postC. jejuniinoculation compared to LT-control birds (p< 0.05). Diet influenced gut microbiota composition in a comparable manner between BT and LT birds, but changes in microbiota composition associated withC. jejuniinoculation varied between breeds.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Diet and breed influencedC. jejunicolonization, immune responses and microbiota composition to a different extent comparing between LT and BT birds. The mechanisms behind these differences have to be elucidated further. Our results suggest that selection for more resistant breeds in combination with adapted feeding strategies may help to reduceCampylobactercolonization levels in commercial poultry in the future.
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Poultry, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Zifeng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Poultry, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Willer
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Poultry, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pielsticker
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 70, 621 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Lenka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gerzova
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 70, 621 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rychlik
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Poultry, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Silke
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8177-3755
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rautenschlein
keywords: Breed; Campylobacter jejuni; Diet; Gut microbiota; Immune response