Cytokine gene expression in chicken cecal tonsils following treatment with probiotics and Salmonella infection

• Published in: Veterinary microbiology Vol. 126; no. 1; pp. 225 - 233
• Main Authors: Haghighi, Hamid R., Abdul-Careem, Mohamed Faizal, Dara, Rozita A., Chambers, James R., Sharif, Shayan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 2008; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Animals; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial diseases of the digestive system and abdomen; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Cecum - drug effects; Cecum - metabolism; Chicken; Chickens; Cytokines; Cytokines - genetics; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects; Gut; Human bacterial diseases; Infectious diseases; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Palatine Tonsil - drug effects; Palatine Tonsil - metabolism; Palatine Tonsil - microbiology; Poultry Diseases - drug therapy; Poultry Diseases - genetics; Poultry Diseases - immunology; Poultry Diseases - microbiology; Probiotics; Probiotics - pharmacology; Probiotics - therapeutic use; Salmonella; Salmonella Infections, Animal - drug therapy; Salmonella Infections, Animal - genetics; Salmonella Infections, Animal - immunology; Salmonella typhimurium - physiology; Probiotics; Salmonella; Chicken; Cytokines; Gut; Probiotic; Farming animal; Digestive system; Poultry; Cytokine; Gene expression; Infection; Vertebrata; Treatment; Bacteriosis; Bacteria; Salmonellosis; Aves; Veterinary; Enterobacteriaceae
• ISSN: 0378-1135; 1873-2542
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2007.06.026

Probiotics are currently employed for control of pathogens and enhancement of immune response in chickens. In this study, we investigated the underlying immunological mechanisms of the action of probiotics against colonization of the chicken intestine by
Salmonella enterica subsp.
enterica serovar Typhimurium (
Salmonella serovar Typhimurium). Birds received probiotics by oral gavage on day 1 of age and, subsequently, received
Salmonella serovar Typhimurium on day 2 of age. Cecal tonsils were removed on days 1, 3 and 5 post-infection (p.i.), RNA was extracted and subjected to real-time quantitative RT-PCR for measurement of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-12 and interferon (IFN)-γ gene expression. There was no significant difference in IL-6 and IL-10 gene expression in cecal tonsils of chickens belonging to various treatment groups.
Salmonella serovar Typhimurium infection resulted in a significant increase in IL-12 expression in cecal tonsils on days 1 and 5
p.i. However, when chickens were treated with probiotics prior to experimental infection with
Salmonella, the level of IL-12 expression was similar to that observed in uninfected control chickens. Treatment of birds with probiotics resulted in a significant decrease in IFN-γ gene expression in cecal tonsils of chickens infected with
Salmonella compared to the
Salmonella-infected birds not treated with probiotics. These findings reveal that repression of IL-12 and IFN-γ expression is associated with probiotic-mediated reduction in intestinal colonization with
Salmonella serovar Typhimurium.