Effect of Campylobacter -Specific Maternal Antibodies on Campylobacter jejuni Colonization in Young Chickens

Abstract

ABSTRACT Using laboratory challenge experiments, we examined whether Campylobacter- specific maternal antibody (MAB) plays a protective role in young chickens, which are usually free of Campylobacter under natural production conditions. Kinetics of C. jejuni colonization were compared by infecting 3-day-old broiler chicks, which were naturally positive for Campylobacter -specific MAB, and 21-day-old broilers, which were negative for Campylobacter -specific MAB. The onset of colonization occurred much sooner in birds challenged at the age of 21 days than it did in the birds inoculated at 3 days of age, which suggested a possible involvement of specific MAB in the delay of colonization. To further examine this possibility, specific-pathogen-free layer chickens were raised under laboratory conditions with or without Campylobacter infection, and their 3-day-old progenies with (MAB + ) or without (MAB − ) Campylobacter -specific MAB were orally challenged with C. jejuni . Significant decreases in the percentage of colonized chickens were observed in the MAB + group during the first week compared with the MAB − group. These results indicate that Campylobacter- specific MAB plays a partial role in protecting young chickens against colonization by C. jejuni . Presence of MAB in young chickens did not seem to affect the development of systemic immune response following infection with C. jejuni . However, active immune responses to Campylobacter occurred earlier and more strongly in birds infected at 21 days of age than those infected at 3 days of age. Clearance of Campylobacter infection was also observed in chickens infected at 21 days of age. Taken together, these findings (i) indicate that anti- Campylobacter MAB contributes to the lack of Campylobacter infection in young broiler chickens in natural environments and (ii) provide further evidence supporting the feasibility of development of immunization-based approaches for control of Campylobacter infection in poultry.