Passive and active immunity of broiler chickens against Campylobacter jejuni and ways of disease transmission

Abstract

The study deals with passive and active immunity of fifty-three broiler chickens after infection with culture of Campylobacter jejuni. Potential transfer of infection by faecal-oral and aerogenic routes was also investigated. Cloacal swabs and ceacal content were analyzed microbiologically. Identification of C. jejuni was carried out by polymerase chain reaction. Observation of passive immunity of broilers from 3 days of age showed that no transfer of C. jejuni infection occurred up to 12 day post-infection (p.i.). Observations of active immunity in fourteen 21 days old chickens infected with C. jejuni showed that 6 chickens were positive on day 3 p.i. and all infected chickens were positive on day 5 p.i. Investigations of the transfer of C. jejuni by faecal-oral route revealed positivity in two broilers on day 3 p.i. and in all tested chickens on day 5 p.i. Aerogenic transfer of infection was not recorded. This was one of the first studies in our country dealing with passive and active immunity of broiler chickens against C. jejuni and spreading of this zoonotic disease.