IN THE US, SALMONELLOSIS IS THE SECOND MOST COMMON FOODBORNE DISEASE. ONE OF THE MAJOR ROUTES OF HUMAN SALMONELLOSIS IS BELIEVED TO BE CONSUMPTION AND HANDLING OF CONTAMINATED POULTRY AND POULTRY PRODUCTS, AS SALMONELLA COLONIZES THE CHICKEN GUT AS PART OF THE NORMAL FLORA. THUS, STRATEGIES FOR CONTROLLING THE COLONIZATION OF SALMONELLA IN POULTRY GUT, TO REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF SALMONELLOSIS IN HUMANS, ARE ESSENTIAL. WE HAVE DEVELOPED A LYSOGENIC SALMONELLA VACCINE STRAIN (ST+P13/19) BY INSERTING GENES 13 (HOLING) AND 19 (LYSOZYME) OF BACTERIOPHAGE P22 INTO DOWNSTREAM OF SSEA, THE CHAPERONE OF SPI-2 GENES OF SALMONELLA ENTERICA (SE) SEROVAR TYPHIMUTIUM (LT2). THUS THE EXPRESSION OF BOTH GENES WERE CONTROLLED BY THE SSEA PROMOTER IN INTRACELLULAR CONDITIONS. WE FOUND THAT THE INTRACELLULAR VIABILITY OF ST+P13/19 WAS REDUCED >95% COMPARED TO LT2 IN CHICKEN MACROPHAGE CELLS, AND SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES AND ENDOSOMAL TOLL-LIKE RECEPTORS. IN THIS PROJECT, WEAIM TO EVALUATE THE ROLE OF THIS NON-PATHOGENIC AND AUTOLYTIC ST+P13/19 VACCINE STRAIN IN OUTCOMPETING PATHOGENIC SE COLONIZATION AND PREVENTING CROSS-CONTAMINATION OF POULTRY PRODUCTS IN A CHICK MODEL. TO EVALUATE THE PROTECTION ABILITY AGAINST COLONIZATION OF VARIOUS PATHOGENIC SE SEROVARS LIKE TYPHIMURIUM AND/OR ENTERITIDIS IN VACCINATED BROILER CHICKS WILL BE PERFORMED AND THE HOST IMMUNITY AND GUT HEALTH DURING THE INTRACELLULAR LYSIS OF THE SALMONELLA VACCINE STRAIN IN THE CHICKEN INTESTINE WILL BE COMPARED. OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT WILL IMPROVE THE SAFETY OF THE POULTRY PRODUCTS AND REDUCE THE HUMAN GASTROINTESTINAL INFECTION WITH SALMONELLA AND IMPROVE HUMAN HEALTH.

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators