title: Evidence of Campylobacter jejuni reduction in broilers with early synbiotic administration.
abstract: C. jejuni is considered a food safety concern to both public health authorities and consumers since it is the leading bacterial cause of food-borne gastroenteritis in humans. A high incidence of C. jejuni in broiler flocks is often correlated to pathogen recovery in retail poultry meat, which is the main source of human infection. In this work broiler chickens were fed with a synbiotic product mixed with conventional feed using two different administration strategies. The synbiotic was formulated with the microencapsulated probiotic Bifidobacterium longum PCB133 and a xylo-oligosaccharide (XOS). 1-day old chicks were infected with C. jejuni strain M1 (105cells) and the synbiotic mixture was then administered starting from the first and the 14th day of chicken life (for animal groups GrpC and GrpB respectively). The goal of this study was to monitor C. jejuni load at caecum level at different sampling time by real-time PCR, identifying the best administration strategy. The microbiological analysis of the caecal content also considered the quantification of Campylobacter spp., Bifidobacterium spp. and B. longum. The supplemented synbiotic was more successful in reducing C. jejuni and Campylobacter spp. when administered lifelong, compared to the shorter supplementation (GrpB). Bifidobacterium spp. quantification did not show significant differences among treatments and B. longum PCB133 was detected in both supplemented groups evidencing the successful colonization of the strain. Moreover, the samples of the control group (GrpA) and GrpC were analysed with PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) to compare the caecal microbial community profiles at the beginning and at the end of the trial. Pattern analysis evidenced the strong influence of the early synbiotic supplementation, although a physiological change in the microbial community, occurring during growth, could be observed. Experimental results demonstrate that the synbiotic approach at farm level can be an effective strategy, combined with biosecurity measures, to improve the safety of poultry meat.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Bologna, viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Loredana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baffoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Bologna, viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gaggìa
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise 'G. Caporale', National Reference Laboratory for Campylobacter, Via Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuliano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Garofolo
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise 'G. Caporale', National Reference Laboratory for Campylobacter, Via Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Serafino
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Bologna, viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, Italy; Laboratory of Neuroscience "R. Levi-Montalcini", Department of Biotechnology and Bioscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Buglione
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise 'G. Caporale', National Reference Laboratory for Campylobacter, Via Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Di Giannatale
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Bologna, viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: diana.digioia@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Di Gioia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001644:Bifidobacterium / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D061046:Biological Control Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002432:Cecum / Q000382:microbiology*; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005965:Glucuronates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D058889:Molecular Typing; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011200:Poultry / Q000382:microbiology; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D058616:Synbiotics
chemical_list: D061046:Biological Control Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D005965:Glucuronates; D009844:Oligosaccharides; C570991:xylooligosaccharide
keywords: Bifidobacterium longum PCB133; Chicken microbiota; DGGE; Food safety; Infection; Xylooligosaccharides