Vaccine protection of broilers against various doses of wild-type Salmonella Typhimurium and changes in gut microbiota
2024

Vaccine Protection of Broilers Against Salmonella Typhimurium

Sample size: 90 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Samiullah Khan, Andreas R. McWhorter, Nicky-Lee Willson, Daniel M. Andrews, Gregory J. Underwood, Robert J. Moore, Thi Thu Hao Van, Kapil K. Chousalkar

Primary Institution: The University of Adelaide

Hypothesis

A nutritive vaccine diluent might prime the vaccine for better colonisation required for stimulating the mucosal immune system.

Conclusion

The study demonstrates that the Vaxsafe® ST vaccine effectively protects broiler chickens from Salmonella Typhimurium infection and helps maintain a stable gut microbiota structure.

Supporting Evidence

  • The vaccine load was highest in the caeca and lowest in the spleen.
  • Vaccinated birds showed significantly lower loads of wild-type Salmonella in various organs.
  • Vaccine diluent did not affect gut microbiota composition.
  • Vaccinated and challenged chickens had higher abundance of beneficial gut bacteria.
  • Vaxsafe® ST vaccination significantly increased immune response.
  • Lower doses of wild-type Salmonella resulted in better protection for vaccinated chickens.
  • Vaccine effectively colonised the gut of broiler chickens.
  • Alpha diversity of gut microbiota was significantly higher in vaccinated groups.

Takeaway

This study shows that a vaccine can help keep chickens healthy by protecting them from a harmful germ called Salmonella.

Methodology

Broiler chickens were vaccinated with Vaxsafe® ST and challenged with different doses of wild-type Salmonella Typhimurium, followed by analysis of gut microbiota and bacterial loads.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to the involvement of authors affiliated with the vaccine manufacturer.

Limitations

The study primarily focused on a specific vaccine and its effects on a limited sample of broiler chickens.

Participant Demographics

Broiler chickens (Cobb 500) of mixed sex.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1080/01652176.2024.2440428

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