Experimental infections with rifampicin-resistantClostridium perfringensstrains in broiler chickens using isolator facilities

Vaccines Using Clostridium perfringens Sporulation Proteins Reduce Necrotic Enteritis in Chickens

Clostridium perfringens is the prevalent enteric pathogen in humans and animals including chickens, and it remains largely elusive on the mechanism of C. perfringens-induced enteritis because of limited animal models available. In this study, we investigated the role of C. perfringens sporulation proteins as vaccine candidates in chickens to reduce necrotic enteritis (NE). C. perfringens soluble proteins of vegetative cells (CP-super1 and CP-super2) and spores (CP-spor-super1 and CP-spor-super2) were prepared, and cell and chicken experiments were conducted. We found that deoxycholic acid reduced C. perfringens invasion and sporulation using the Eimeria maxima and C. perfringens co-infection necrotic enteritis (NE) model. C. perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) was detected in the CP-spor-super1&2. CP-spor-super1 or 2 induced cell death in mouse epithelial CMT-93 and macrophage Raw 264.7 cells. CP-spor-super1 or 2 also induced inflammatory gene expression and necrosis in the Raw cells. Birds immunized with CP-spor-super1 or 2 were resistant to C. perfringens-induced severe clinical NE on histopathology and body weight gain loss. CP-spor-super1 vaccine reduced NE-induced proinflammatory Ifnγ gene expression as well as C. perfringens luminal colonization and tissue invasion in the small intestine. Together, this study showed that CP-spor-super vaccines reduced NE histopathology and productivity loss.

Mandated restrictions on the use of medically important antibiotics in broiler chicken production in Canada: implications, emerging challenges, and opportunities for bolstering gastrointestinal function and health– A review

Chicken Farmers of Canada has been progressively phasing out prophylactic use of antibiotics in broiler chicken production. Consequently, hatcheries, veterinarians, and nutritionists have been mandated to contend with less reliance on use of preventive antibiotics. A topical concern is the increased risk of proliferation of enteric pathogens leading to poor performance, increased mortality and compromised welfare. Moreover, the gut harbors several taxa such as Campylobacter and Salmonella capable of causing significant illnesses in humans via contaminated poultry products. This has created opportunity for research and development of dietary strategies designed to modulate gastrointestinal environment for enhanced performance and food safety. Albeit with inconsistent responses, literature data suggests that dietary strategies such as feed enzymes, probiotics/prebiotics and phytogenic feed additives can bolster gut health and function in broiler chickens. However, much of the efficacy data was generated at controlled research settings that vary significantly with the complex commercial broiler production operations due to variation in dietary, health and environmental conditions. This review will summarize implications of mandated restrictions on the preventative use of antibiotics and emerging Canadian broiler production programs to meet processor specifications. Challenges and opportunities for integrating alternative dietary strategies in commercial broiler production settings will be highlighted.

A secondary bile acid from microbiota metabolism attenuates ileitis and bile acid reduction in subclinical necrotic enteritis in chickens

Background

Clostridium perfringens-induced chicken necrotic enteritis (NE) is responsible for substantial economic losses worldwide annually. Recently, as a result of antibiotic growth promoter prohibition, the prevalence of NE in chickens has reemerged. This study was aimed to reduce NE through titrating dietary deoxycholic acid (DCA) as an effective antimicrobial alternative.

Materials and methods

Day-old broiler chicks were assigned to six groups and fed diets supplemented with 0 (basal diet), 0.8, 1.0 and 1.5 g/kg (on top of basal diet) DCA. The birds were challenged with Eimeria maxima (20,000 oocysts/bird) at d 18 and C. perfringens (10⁹ CFU/bird per day) at d 23, 24, and 25 to induce NE. The birds were sacrificed at d 26 when ileal tissue and digesta were collected for analyzing histopathology, mRNA accumulation and C. perfringens colonization by real-time PCR, targeted metabolomics of bile acids, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), or terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay.

Results

At the cellular level, birds infected with E. maxima and C. perfringens developed subclinical NE and showed shortening villi, crypt hyperplasia and immune cell infiltration in ileum. Dietary DCA alleviated the NE-induced ileal inflammation in a dose-dependent manner compared to NE control birds. Consistent with the increased histopathological scores, subclinical NE birds suffered body weight gain reduction compared to the uninfected birds, an effect attenuated with increased doses of dietary DCA. At the molecular level, the highest dose of DCA at 1.5 g/kg reduced C. perfringens luminal colonization compared to NE birds using PCR and FISH. Furthermore, the dietary DCA reduced subclinical NE-induced intestinal inflammatory gene expression and cell apoptosis using PCR and TUNEL assays. Upon further examining ileal bile acid pool through targeted metabolomics, subclinical NE reduced the total bile acid level in ileal digesta compared to uninfected birds. Notably, dietary DCA increased total bile acid and DCA levels in a dose-dependent manner compared to NE birds.

Conclusion

These results indicate that DCA attenuates NE-induced intestinal inflammation and bile acid reduction and could be an effective antimicrobial alternative against the intestinal disease.

Conjugation-Mediated Horizontal Gene Transfer of Clostridium perfringens Plasmids in the Chicken Gastrointestinal Tract Results in the Formation of New Virulent Strains

Clostridium perfringens is a gastrointestinal pathogen capable of causing disease in a variety of hosts. Necrotic enteritis in chickens is caused by C. perfringens strains that produce the pore-forming toxin NetB, the major virulence factor for this disease. Like many other C. perfringens toxins and antibiotic resistance genes, NetB is encoded on a conjugative plasmid. Conjugative transfer of the netB-containing plasmid pJIR3535 has been demonstrated in vitro with a netB-null mutant. This study has investigated the effect of plasmid transfer on disease pathogenesis, with two genetically distinct transconjugants constructed under in vitro conditions, within the intestinal tract of chickens. This study also demonstrates that plasmid transfer can occur naturally in the host gut environment without the need for antibiotic selective pressure to be applied. The demonstration of plasmid transfer within the chicken host may have implications for the progression and pathogenesis of C. perfringens-mediated disease. Such horizontal gene transfer events are likely to be common in the clostridia and may be a key factor in strain evolution, both within animals and in the wider environment.IMPORTANCE Clostridium perfringens is a major gastrointestinal pathogen of poultry. C. perfringens strains that express the NetB pore-forming toxin, which is encoded on a conjugative plasmid, cause necrotic enteritis. This study demonstrated that the conjugative transfer of the netB-containing plasmid to two different nonpathogenic strains converted them into disease-causing strains with disease-causing capability similar to that of the donor strain. Plasmid transfer of netB and antibiotic resistance was also demonstrated to occur within the gastrointestinal tract of chickens, with approximately 14% of the isolates recovered comprising three distinct, in vivo-derived, transconjugant types. The demonstration of in vivo plasmid transfer indicates the potential importance of strain plasticity and the contribution of plasmids to strain virulence.

The successful experimental induction of necrotic enteritis in chickens by Clostridium perfringens: a critical review

Necrotic enteritis (NE) is one of the most important enteric diseases in poultry and is a high cost to the industry worldwide. It is caused by avian-specific, Necrotic Enteritis Beta toxin (NetB)-producing, strains of Clostridium perfringens that also possess in common other virulence-associated genes. In Europe the disease incidence has increased since the ban on in-feed "growth promoting" antibiotics. Because of this, many recent studies of NE have focused on finding different ways to control the disease, and on understanding its pathogenesis. Frustratingly, reproduction of the disease has proven impossible for some researchers. This review describes and discusses factors known to be important in reproducing the disease experimentally, as well as other considerations in reproducing the disease. The critical bacterial factor is the use of virulent, netB-positive, strains; virulence can be enhanced by using tpeL- positive strains and by the use of young rather than old broth cultures to increase toxin expression. Intestinal damaging factors, notably the use of concurrent or preceding coccidial infection, or administration of coccidial vaccines, combined with netB-positive C. perfringens administration, can also be used to induce NE. Nutritional factors, particularly feeding high percentage of cereals containing non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) (wheat, rye, and barley) enhance disease by increasing digesta viscosity, mucus production and bacterial growth. Animal proteins, especially fish meal, enhance C. perfringens proliferation and toxin production. Other factors are discussed that may affect outcome but for which evidence of their importance is lacking. The review compares the different challenge approaches; depending on the aim of particular studies, the different critical factors can be adjusted to affect the severity of the lesions induced. A standardized scoring system is proposed for international adoption based on gross rather than histopathological lesions; if universally adopted this will allow better comparison between studies done by different researchers. Also a scoring system is provided to assist decisions on humane euthanasia of sick birds.

Necrotic enteritis in broilers: an updated review on the pathogenesis

Clostridium perfringens-induced necrotic enteritis and related subclinical disease have become economically significant problems for the broiler industry. Fortunately, scientific interest in this topic has grown: new C. perfringens virulence factors have been discovered and new insight gained about the pathogenesis of necrotic enteritis. It has been shown that alpha toxin, for a long time thought to be the key virulence factor, is not essential for the development of the disease. Moreover, it is now clearly established that only certain C. perfringens strains are capable of inducing necrotic enteritis under specific conditions that predispose to the disease and they constitute only a minority in the intestinal tract of healthy chickens. A novel pore-forming toxin, NetB, has been identified in these virulent avian C. perfringens strains. Using a gene knockout mutant, it has been shown that NetB is a critical virulence factor in the pathogenesis of necrotic enteritis in broilers. In addition to toxin production, other factors have been described that contribute to the ability of certain C. perfringens strains to cause necrotic enteritis in broilers. It has been suggested that proteolytic enzymes play an important role in the initial stages of necrotic enteritis since the villi are first affected at the level of the basement membrane and the lateral domain of the enterocytes. In field outbreaks of necrotic enteritis, a single clone of C. perfringens is dominant in intestines of all affected birds, as opposed to the mixture of different C. perfringens strains that can be isolated from healthy bird intestines. It has been proposed that bacteriocin production is responsible for the dominance of a single strain in necrotic enteritis cases. Furthermore, it has been shown that virulent strains are more able to adhere to extracellular matrix molecules than non-virulent strains. The current knowledge on the pathogenesis of the disease has been summarized in this short review.

Reproducible infection model for Clostridium perfringens in broiler chickens

Experiments were carried out to establish an infection and disease model for Clostridium perfringens in broiler chickens. Previous experiments had failed to induce disease and only a transient colonization with challenge strains had been obtained. In the present study, two series of experiments were conducted, each involving four groups of chickens with each group kept in separate isolators. A coccidial vaccine given at 10 times the prescribed dosage was used to promote the development of necrotic enteritis. In the first experiment, cultures of C. perfringens were mixed with the feed at day 9, 10, 11, and 12, and the coccidial vaccine was given at day 10, whereas in the second experiment, C. perfringens cultures were mixed with the feed at day 17, 18, 19, and 20, and the coccidial vaccine was given at day 18. Chickens were examined at day 9, 11, 12, and 15 (Experiment 1), and at day 17, 18, 20, and 24 (Experiment 2). There was no mortality in any of the groups; however, chickens in the groups receiving both coccidial vaccine and C. peifringens developed the subclinical form of necrotic enteritis, demonstrated by focal necroses in the small intestine, whereas chickens in control groups or groups receiving only coccidial vaccine or only C. perfringens cultures developed no necroses. The results underline the importance of predisposing factors in the development of necrotic enteritis.

Responses of broiler chickens orally challenged with Clostridium perfringens isolated from field cases of necrotic enteritis

The present study examines the responses of broiler chickens to oral administration of Clostridium perfringens freshly isolated from field cases of necrotic enteritis (NE). The challenge studies included long-term exposure and short-term exposure, factored in with dietary and management variables including high levels of dietary components such as fish meal, meat meal, abrupt change of feed, and fasting. In the long-term exposure trials, the birds were orally inoculated daily, with 1 ml (1.0 or 2 x 10(8) CFU/ml) of an overnight culture of C. perfringens for 7 days. Short-term exposure trials involved challenge with 1 ml (3 x 10(10) CFU/ml) administered as a single dose. The responses of broilers to orally administered C. perfingens under laboratory controlled conditions are presented and discussed in the context of authentic field cases of necrotic enteritis. None of the challenge trials produced overt clinical signs of NE and there were no mortalities associated with oral exposure to high doses of C. perfringens. However, many of the challenged birds showed distinctly pronounced pathological changes in the intestinal tissue. On gross examination the responses in birds challenged orally with C. perfringens could be placed into two categories: (1) no apparent pathological changes in the intestinal tissue and (2) sub-clinical inflammatory responses with focal, multi-focal, locally extensive, or disseminated distribution throughout various sections of duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and ceca. In birds that responded with intestinal lesions, hyperemia and occasional hemorrhages were the main gross changes. In some birds, the mucosa was covered with a brownish material, but typically, the mucosa was lined by yellow or greenish, loosely adherent material. Mild gross changes were seen in some control birds, but both qualitatively and quantitatively, the lesions were distinctly more pronounced in the challenged birds. Upon histological examination, none of the experimentally exposed birds showed overt mucosal necrosis typical of field cases of NE, but typically the lamina propria was hyperemic and infiltrated with numerous inflammatory cells. Most significant changes were seen at the interface of the basal domain of enterocytes and lamina propria. Multifocally, these areas were extensively edematous, allowing for the substantial disturbance of the structural integrity between the lamina propria and the enterocytes. The lesions observed in the present study were consistently reproduced in all of our challenge trials, hence these responses may signify newly emerging patterns of sub-clinical enteric disorders in contemporary strains of poultry. The pathological changes observed in broilers challenged orally with C. perfringens in the present study, differ significantly from those reported previously, and must be clearly differentiated from those described in cases of NE or ulcerative enteritis. Although no overt necrosis of the intestinal mucosa typical of field cases of NE were observed in the present study, the birds challenged with C. perfringens showed strong inflammatory reaction to the introduced pathogens. The distinct features of the microscopic lesions were changes involving apparently normal enterocytes at the interface of the basal domain of villar epithelia and lamina propria. Although the pathological changes in the intestinal tissues observed in our trials appear to be rather subtle when compared to field cases of NE, the nature of these lesions suggest a significant negative effect on the digestive physiology of intestinal mucosa.