Role of Cecal Microbiota in the Differential Resistance of Inbred Chicken Lines to Colonization by Campylobacter jejuni

Abstract

Campylobacter is a leading cause of foodborne diarrheal disease worldwide. Poultry are a key source of human infections, but there are currently few effective measures against Campylobacter in poultry during production. One option to control Campylobacter may be to alter the composition of microbial communities in the avian intestines by introducing beneficial bacteria, which exclude the harmful ones. We previously described two inbred chicken lines which differ in resistance to intestinal colonization by Campylobacter . Here, we investigated the composition of the microbial communities in the gut of these lines and whether transferring gut bacteria between the resistant and susceptible lines alters their resistance to Campylobacter . No major differences in microbial populations were found, and resistance or susceptibility to colonization was not conferred by transferring gut bacteria between lines. The data suggest that gut microbiota did not play a role in resistance to Campylobacter colonization, at least in the lines used.