Sugar-based vaccines can reduce Campylobacter in poultry

A new approach to vaccination targets sugars to control the spread of Campylobacter in chicken meat.

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JurgaR | iStockPhoto.com
JurgaR | iStockPhoto.com

A new approach to vaccination targets sugars to control the spread of Campylobacter in chicken meat. 

Campylobacter is one of the most common causes of foodborne illnesses worldwide. It can be difficult to treat and many strains have become multi-drug resistant.

“Campylobacter is a wolf disguised in sheep’s clothing. It disguises itself with whole sugars,” Christine Szymanski, Professor at the University of Georgia, said during The Poultry Federation’s Food Safety Conference, held virtually on March 29-31.

These sugars can mimic human glycolipids known as gangliosides, which humans do not typically develop antibodies against. This means Campylobacter can avoid the immune system once inside the body.

A new approach

Szymanski’s research team studied whether they could target these sugars to vaccinate against Campylobacter in chicken. They focused on a type of whole sugars known as N-glycan.

They engineered attenuated avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) to express the Campylobacter sugars in high abundance, which were then orally administered to chickens. 

“We showed that this vaccine is capable of reducing Campylobacter levels by 10-log in both Leghorns as well as broiler birds,” Szymanski explained. 

Sugar-based vaccines are inexpensive to produce and easy to administer. In addition, while “the vaccine itself does not appear to affect the microbiota of the animal… our suspicions are that the microbiota may have a role in the vaccine efficacy,” she added.

The gut microbiome is a collection of microorganisms present in the gastrointestinal tract. In recent years, the microbiome has captured the attention of researchers, who have linked the microbial makeup of the gut to a variety of health conditions in humans and animals.

Next step… germ-free chickens?

The research team is currently focused on developing a germ-free model system. Germ-free animals are free of microorganisms and pathogens and are a critical tool for microbiome research.

“We have almost obtained germ-free chicken,” Szymanski said. “We’re hoping that this germ-free chicken model will help us to determine the critical factors necessary to reduce colonization.”

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