Prevalence, Antigenic Specificity, and Bactericidal Activity of Poultry Anti-Campylobacter Maternal Antibodies
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Date
2001
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
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Access Rights
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Abstract
Poultry are considered the major reservoir for Campylobacter jejuni, a leading bacterial cause of human food-borne diarrhea. To understand the ecology of C. jejuni and develop strategies to control C. jejuni infection in the animal reservoir, we initiated studies to examine the potential role of anti-Campylobacter maternal antibodies in protecting young broiler chickens from infection by C. jejuni. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the prevalence of anti-C. jejuni antibodies in breeder chickens, egg yolks, and broilers from multiple flocks of different farms were examined. High levels of antibodies to the organism were detected in serum samples of breeder chickens and in egg yolk contents. To determine the dynamics of anti-Campylobacter maternal antibody transferred from yolks to hatchlings, serum samples collected from five broiler flocks at weekly intervals from 1 to 28 or 42 days of age were also examined by ELISA, Sera from the 1-day and 7-day-old chicks showed high titers of antibodies to C. jejuni. Thereafter, antibody titers decreased substantially and were not detected during the third and fourth weeks of age. The disappearance of anti-Campylobacter maternal antibodies during 3 to 4 weeks of age coincides with the appearance of C. jejuni infections observed in many broiler chicken flocks. As shown by immunoblotting, the maternally derived antibodies recognized multiple membrane proteins of C. jejuni ranging from 19 to 107 kDa. Moreover, in vitro serum bactericidal assays showed that anti-Campylobacter maternal antibodies were active in antibody-dependent complement-mediated killing of C. jejuni. Together, these results highlight the widespread presence of functional anti-Campylobacter antibodies in the poultry production system and provide a strong rationale for further investigation of the potential role of anti-C. jejuni maternal antibodies in protecting young chickens from infection by C. jejuni.
Description
Keywords
Animals, Antibodies, Bacterial, Antibody Specificity, Blood Bactericidal Activity, Campylobacter Infections, Campylobacter jejuni, Chickens, Egg Yolk, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Immunity, Maternally-Acquired, Poultry Diseases, bacterium antibody, animal, animal disease, antibody specificity, article, bird disease, blood, Campylobacter jejuni, chicken, egg yolk, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, Gram negative infection, immunology, microbiology, passive immunization, serum bactericidal activity
Journal or Series
Applied and Environmental Microbiology
WoS Q Value
Scopus Q Value
Q1
Volume
67
Issue
9
