Abstract
Simple SummaryAccording to European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), human campylobacteriosis is the most commonly diagnosed zoonotic disease in the EU. In 2018, the Member States reported 246,571 cases (30% increase since 2015). For years, poultry meat and poultry products have been considered a main source for human infections. In 2018, the highest occurrence of Campylobacter spp. was detected in chicken (37.5%) and turkey meat (28.2%). Considering this situation, there has been ongoing discussion regarding the potential strategies to minimize the level of Campylobacter spp. colonization in poultry and therefore in humans. In 2018, EFSA Panel on Biological Hazards indicated that use of feed and water additives is the second most likely strategy that can be successful in minimizing Campylobacter spp. colonization rate in broiler chickens. One of these water and feed additives are probiotics—living microorganisms which, when supplemented in the right dose, have a positive effect on microbial ecosystem of the host gut by ensuring a favorable balance between commensal and pathogenic microflora. In this review paper, the authors present current results of the studies concerning the potential use of probiotics as a preventive measure of Campylobacter spp. infection, under laboratory conditions and at a chicken farm level.Campylobacter spp. are widely distributed microorganisms, many of which are commensals of gastrointestinal tract in multiple animal species, including poultry. Most commonly detected are C. jejuni and C. coli. Although infections are usually asymptomatic in poultry, poultry meat and products represent main sources of infection with these bacteria to humans. According to recent EFSA report, campylobacteriosis is the most commonly reported zoonotic disease. In 2018, EFSA Panel on Biological Hazards indicated that use of feed and water additives is the second most likely strategy that can be successful in minimizing Campylobacter spp. colonization rate in broiler chickens. One of those feed and water additives are probiotics. From numerous research papers it can be concluded that probiotics exhibit plenty of mechanisms of anti-Campylobacter activity, which were evaluated under in vitro conditions. These results, to some extent, can explain the efficacy of probiotics in in vivo studies, although different outcome can be observed under these two laboratory conditions. Probiotics are capable of reducing Campylobacter spp. population count in poultry gastrointestinal tract and they can reduce carcass contamination. Potential modes of anti-Campylobacter activity of probiotics, results of in vivo studies and studies performed at a farm level are widely discussed in the paper.
Highlights
Bacteria from the genus Campylobacter spp. are Gram-negative, widely distributed microorganisms, many of which are detected as commensals of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) in multiple animal species, including poultry, domestic, and wild birds
The bacterial populations in the cecal content on the 14th and 35th days of the birds’ life declined by 0.82 and 2.81 log10, respectively. This was confirmed by Ghareeb et al [13], who treated the birds with a multispecies probiotic comprising Enterococcus faecium, Pediococcus acidilactici, Bifidobacterium animalis, L. salivarius, and L. reuteri at doses of 2 or 20 mg/bird via drinking water from the first day of life and noted up to 5.81 and 5.85 log10 reduction of C. jejuni colony forming units (CFU)/g in the cecal content after the birds were artificially infected on the day of hatching
Smiałek et al [64] demonstrated that a multispecies probiotic comprising an lactic acid bacteria (LAB) mixture (L. lactis, Carnobacterium divergens, L. casei, and L. plantarum) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae given to birds in feed for the entire production cycle was capable of reducing the Campylobacter spp. population count in broiler ceca and feces
Summary
Bacteria from the genus Campylobacter spp. are Gram-negative, widely distributed microorganisms, many of which are detected as commensals of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) in multiple animal species, including poultry, domestic, and wild birds. The main sources and factors increasing the risk of infection in poultry include contaminated litter, rodents, flies, farm staff, other farm animals kept on or near the production farm, inadequately long production breaks, insufficient washing and disinfection of facilities, contamination of water and surrounding lands, proximity of Campylobacter-positive flocks, and thinning [3,36]. It is worth noting that in many cases, bacteria of the genus Campylobacter are present in livestock facilities even before birds are settled there They were detected in dust and drinking water in poultry houses, which had been washed and disinfected immediately before the delivery of the chicks for rearing [36]. According to the recent report of the EFSA Panel on Biological Hazards regarding the control options for Campylobacter in broilers in primary production, the strategies most likely to be successful in minimizing the rate of infection and the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in poultry products include vaccination, use of feed and water additives, discontinuation of thinning, employment of only a few and only well-trained staff, elimination of drinkers that allow standing water, addition of disinfectants to drinking water, hygienic anterooms, and designation of one set of tools per broiler house [3]
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