Select Phytochemicals Reduce Campylobacter jejuni in Postharvest Poultry and Modulate the Virulence Attributes of C. jejuni

Oral curcumin ameliorates acute murine campylobacteriosis

Introduction

Human infections with the food-borne enteropathogen Campylobacter jejuni are responsible for increasing incidences of acute campylobacteriosis cases worldwide. Since antibiotic treatment is usually not indicated and the severity of the enteritis directly correlates with the risk of developing serious autoimmune disease later-on, novel antibiotics-independent intervention strategies with non-toxic compounds to ameliorate and even prevent campylobacteriosis are utmost wanted. Given its known pleiotropic health-promoting properties, curcumin constitutes such a promising candidate molecule. In our actual preclinical placebo-controlled intervention trial, we tested the anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory effects of oral curcumin pretreatment during acute experimental campylobacteriosis.

Methods

Therefore, secondary abiotic IL-10-/- mice were challenged with synthetic curcumin via the drinking water starting a week prior oral C. jejuni infection. To assess anti-pathogenic, clinical, immune-modulatory, and functional effects of curcumin prophylaxis, gastrointestinal C. jejuni bacteria were cultured, clinical signs and colonic histopathological changes quantitated, pro-inflammatory immune cell responses determined by in situ immunohistochemistry and intestinal, extra-intestinal and systemic pro-inflammatory mediator measurements, and finally, intestinal epithelial barrier function tested by electrophysiological resistance analysis of colonic ex vivo biopsies in the Ussing chamber.

Results and discussion

Whereas placebo counterparts were suffering from severe enterocolitis characterized by wasting symptoms and bloody diarrhea on day 6 post-infection, curcumin pretreated mice, however, were clinically far less compromised and displayed less severe microscopic inflammatory sequelae such as histopathological changes and epithelial cell apoptosis in the colon. In addition, curcumin pretreatment could mitigate pro-inflammatory innate and adaptive immune responses in the intestinal tract and importantly, rescue colonic epithelial barrier integrity upon C. jejuni infection. Remarkably, the disease-mitigating effects of exogenous curcumin was also observed in organs beyond the infected intestines and strikingly, even systemically given basal hepatic, renal, and serum concentrations of pro-inflammatory mediators measured in curcumin pretreated mice on day 6 post-infection. In conclusion, the anti-Campylobacter and disease-mitigating including anti-inflammatory effects upon oral curcumin application observed here highlight the polyphenolic compound as a promising antibiotics-independent option for the prevention from severe acute campylobacteriosis and its potential post-infectious complications.

Interventions to reduce Salmonella and Campylobacter during chilling and post-chilling stages of poultry processing: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Salmonella and Campylobacter are common bacterial hazards causing foodborne illnesses worldwide. A large proportion of Salmonella and Campylobacter illnesses are attributed to contaminated poultry products that are mishandled or under cooked. Processing interventions such as chilling and post-chill dip are critical to reducing microbial contamination of poultry. A comprehensive search of the literature published between 2000 and 2021 was conducted in the databases Web of Science, Academic Search Complete, and Academic OneFile. Studies were included if they were in English and investigated the effects of interventions against Salmonella and/or Campylobacter on whole carcasses and/or parts during the chilling or post-chill stages of poultry processing. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed using the "meta" package in the R programming language. Subgroup analyses were assessed according to outcome measure reported, microorganism tested, processing stage assessed, and chemical treatment used. The results included 41 eligible studies. Eighteen studies reported results of 28 separate interventions against Salmonella and 31 reported results of 50 separate interventions against Campylobacter. No significant difference (P> 0.05) was observed when comparing the combined mean difference of all interventions targeting Salmonella to the combined mean difference of all interventions targeting Campylobacter or when comparing chilling times within each pathogen subgroup. For analyses examining antimicrobial additives, peroxyacetic acid (PAA) had the largest reduction against Salmonella population regardless of chilling time (P< 0.05). PAA also had the largest reduction against Campylobacter population and prevalence during primary chilling (P< 0.01). Air chilling showed a lower reduction for Campylobacter than any immersion chilling intervention (P< 0.05). Chilling time and antimicrobial used during poultry processing had varying effects depending on the pathogen and outcome measure investigated (concentration or prevalence). High heterogeneity and low sample numbers in most analyses suggest that more high-quality research that is well-designed and has transparent reporting of methodology and results is needed to corroborate the results.

Polyphenols and CRISPR as Quorum Quenching Agents in Antibiotic-Resistant Foodborne Human Pathogens (Salmonella Typhimurium, Campylobacter jejuni and Escherichia coli 0157:H7)

Antibiotic resistance in foodborne pathogens is an increasing threat to global human health. Among the most prevalent antibiotic-resistant bacteria are Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Campylobacter jejuni and E. coli 0157:H7. Control of these and other pathogens requires innovative approaches, i.e., discovering new molecules that will inactivate them, or render them less virulent without inducing resistance. Recently, several polyphenol molecules have been shown to possess such characteristics. Also, the use of CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) approaches has recently been proposed for such purpose. This review summarizes the main findings regarding the application of both approaches to control the above-mentioned foodborne pathogens by relying on Quorum Sensing interference (Quorum Quenching) mechanisms and highlights the avenues needed for further research.

Polyphenols and CRISPR as Quorum Quenching Agents in Antibiotic-Resistant Foodborne Human Pathogens (Salmonella Typhimurium, Campylobacter jejuni and Escherichia coli 0157:H7)

Antibiotic resistance in foodborne pathogens is an increasing threat to global human health. Among the most prevalent antibiotic-resistant bacteria are Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Campylobacter jejuni and E. coli 0157:H7. Control of these and other pathogens requires innovative approaches, i.e., discovering new molecules that will inactivate them, or render them less virulent without inducing resistance. Recently, several polyphenol molecules have been shown to possess such characteristics. Also, the use of CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) approaches has recently been proposed for such purpose. This review summarizes the main findings regarding the application of both approaches to control the above-mentioned foodborne pathogens by relying on Quorum Sensing interference (Quorum Quenching) mechanisms and highlights the avenues needed for further research.

Avian campylobacteriosis, prevalence, sources, hazards, antibiotic resistance, poultry meat contamination, and control measures: a comprehensive review

Avian campylobacteriosis is a vandal infection that poses human health hazards. Campylobacter is usually colonized in the avian gut revealing mild signs in the infected birds, but retail chicken carcasses have high contamination levels of Campylobacter spp. Consequently, the contaminated avian products constitute the main source of human infection with campylobacteriosis and result in severe clinical symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, spasm, and deaths in sensitive cases. Thus, the current review aims to shed light on the prevalence of Campylobacter in broiler chickens, Campylobacter colonization, bird immunity against Campylobacter, sources of poultry infection, antibiotic resistance, poultry meat contamination, human health hazard, and the use of standard antimicrobial technology during the chicken processing of possible control strategies to overcome such problems.

A Multiomic Analysis of Chicken Serum Revealed the Modulation of Host Factors Due to Campylobacter jejuni Colonization and In-Water Supplementation of Eugenol Nanoemulsion

Campylobacter jejuni is a foodborne pathogen that causes campylobacteriosis globally, affecting ~95 million people worldwide. Most C. jejuni infections involve consuming and/or handling improperly cooked poultry meat. To better understand chicken host factors modulated by Campylobacter colonization, we explored a novel LCMS-based multiomic technology using three experimental groups: (1) negative control, (2) positive control, and (3) eugenol nanoemulsion (EGNE) treatment (supplemented with 0.125% EGNE in the water) of broiler chickens (n = 10 birds/group). Birds in groups two and three were challenged with C. jejuni on day 7, and serum samples were collected from all groups on day 14. Using this multiomic analysis, we identified 1216 analytes (275 compounds, seven inorganics, 407 lipids, and 527 proteins). The colonization of C. jejuni significantly upregulated CREG1, creatinine, and 3-[2-(3-Hydroxyphenyl) ethyl]-5-methoxyphenol and downregulated sphingosine, SP d18:1, high mobility group protein B3, phosphatidylcholines (PC) P-20:0_16:0, PC 11:0_26:1, and PC 13:0_26:2. We found that 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid significantly increased with the EGNE treatment when compared to the positive and negative controls. Additionally, the treatment increased several metabolites when compared to the negative controls. In conclusion, this study revealed several potential targets to control Campylobacter in broiler chickens.

Ability of Garlic and Ginger Oil to Reduce Salmonella in Post-Harvest Poultry

Approximately 1.35 million human salmonellosis cases are reported in the United States every year, resulting in over 26,000 hospitalizations and 400 deaths. Consumption of contaminated poultry products is one of the leading causes of human salmonellosis. Poultry meat becomes contaminated when feces from an infected bird comes into contact with the carcass during processing. Additional carcasses can then become cross-contaminated along the processing line. While chemicals such as peracetic acid are currently used to kill microbes such as Salmonella, consumers are increasingly calling for more natural alternatives. Our objective for this study was to determine the ability of the phytochemicals garlic and ginger oil to reduce Salmonella prevalence in the processing environment. In a simulated scalding tank environment, dipping contaminated chicken skin samples in a solution containing both garlic and ginger oil reduced Salmonella by up to 2 log CFU. Furthermore, the oils prevented Salmonella growth in the tank solution. The mechanism of action of garlic and ginger was evaluated using the sub-inhibitory concentration of each oil individually. While both were found to decrease autoinducer-2 (AI-2) levels, no effect was seen on expression of 10 genes involved in Salmonella virulence and survival. In total, this work demonstrates the potential of garlic and ginger to reduce Salmonella prevalence in the post-harvest environment. However, more work remains to be done to understand the mechanism of action.

Rhodiola rosea Reduces Intercellular Signaling in Campylobacter jejuni

Campylobacter jejuni is a major foodborne pathogen and the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis, i.e., campylobacteriosis. Besides searching for novel antimicrobials, identification of new targets for their action is becoming increasingly important. Rhodiola rosea has long been used in traditional medicine. Ethanolic extracts from the roots and rhizomes of the plant contain a wide range of bioactive compounds with various pharmacological activities. In this study, cultivated plant materials have been used, i.e., “Mattmark” and “Rosavine”. Through optimized protocols, we obtained fractions of the initial ethanolic extracts rich in most important bioactive compounds from R. rosea, including salidroside, rosavins, proanthocyanidins (PACs), and flavonoids. The antimicrobial activity in relation to the chemical composition of the extracts and their fractions was studied with an emphasis on C. jejuni AI-2-mediated intercellular signaling. At concentration 15.625 mg/L, bioluminescence reduction rates varied from 27% to 72%, and the membrane remained intact. Fractions rich in PACs had the strongest antimicrobial effect against C. jejuni, with the lowest minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) (M F3 40%: 62.5 mg/L; R F3 40%: 250 mg/L) and the highest intercellular signaling reduction rates (M F3 40%: 72%; R F3 40%: 65%). On the other hand, fractions without PACs were less effective (MICs: M F5 PVP: 250 mg/L; R F5 PVP: 1000 mg/L and bioluminescence reduction rates: M F5 PVP: 27%; R F5 PVP: 43%). Additionally, fractions rich in flavonoids had strong antimicrobial activity (MICs: M F4 70%: 125 mg/L; R F4 70%: 250 mg/L and bioluminescence reduction rates: M F4 70%: 68%; R F4 70%: 50%). We conclude that PACs and flavonoids are crucial compound groups responsible for the antimicrobial activity of R. rosea roots and rhizomes in C. jejuni.

Campylobacter Biofilms: Potential of Natural Compounds to Disrupt Campylobacter jejuni Transmission

Microbial biofilms occur naturally in many environmental niches and can be a significant reservoir of infectious microbes in zoonotically transmitted diseases such as that caused by Campylobacter jejuni, the leading cause of acute human bacterial gastroenteritis world-wide. The greatest challenge in reducing the disease caused by this organism is reducing transmission of C. jejuni to humans from poultry via the food chain. Biofilms enhance the stress tolerance and antimicrobial resistance of the microorganisms they harbor and are considered to play a crucial role for Campylobacter spp. survival and transmission to humans. Unconventional approaches to control biofilms and to improve the efficacy of currently used antibiotics are urgently needed. This review summarizes the use plant- and microorganism-derived antimicrobial and antibiofilm compounds such as essential oils, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), polyphenolic extracts, algae extracts, probiotic-derived factors, d-amino acids (DAs) and glycolipid biosurfactants with potential to control biofilms formed by Campylobacter, and the suggested mechanisms of their action. Further investigation and use of such natural compounds could improve preventative and remedial strategies aimed to limit the transmission of campylobacters and other human pathogens via the food chain.