Abstract
Broiler chickens are an important source of Campylobacter to humans and become colonized on the farm, but the role of the litter in the ecology of Campylobacter is still not clear. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between Campylobacter and the changes in the litter microbiome throughout the broiler production cycle. Twenty-six commercial broiler flocks representing two production types (small and big broilers) were followed from 1 to 2 weeks after placement to the end of the production cycle. Composite litter samples from the broiler chicken house were collected weekly. Litter DNA was extracted and used for Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli qPCR as well as for 16S rRNA gene V4 region sequencing. Campylobacter jejuni concentration in litter significantly differed by production type and flock age. Campylobacter jejuni concentration in litter from big broilers was 2.4 log10 units higher, on average, than that of small broilers at 3 weeks of age. Sixteen amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) differentially abundant over time were detected in both production types. A negative correlation of Campylobacter with Bogoriella and Pseudogracilibacillus was observed in the litter microbiome network at 6 weeks of flock age. Dynamic Bayesian networks provided evidence of negative associations between Campylobacter and two bacterial genera, Ornithinibacillus and Oceanobacillus, at 2 and 4 weeks of flock age, respectively. In conclusion, dynamic associations between Campylobacter and the litter microbiome were observed during grow-out, suggesting a potential role of the litter microbiome in the ecology of Campylobacter colonization and persistence on farm.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Journal | Applied and environmental microbiology |
| Volume | 88 |
| Issue number | 17 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research was supported by grant number 2019-67017-29582 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. RV-C received support from the University of Minnesota Informatics Institute and Minnesota’s Discovery, Research, and Innovation Economy. We thank the broiler companies that voluntarily participated in the study.
Funding Information:
This research was supported by grant number 2019-67017-29582 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. RV-C received support from the University of Minnesota Informatics Institute and Minnesota’s Discovery, Research, and Innovation Economy. We thank the broiler companies that voluntarily participated in the study. R.V.-C. and R.S.S.: conceptualization and investigation. T.J.J., M.P., and R.S.S.: funding acquisition. R.V.-C., B.W., T.J.J., M.P., and R.S.S.: methodology. R.V.-C. and R.S.S.: formal analysis. R.V.-C., M.P., and R.S.S.: visualization. B.W. and R.S.S.: supervision. R.V.-C., M.P., and R.S.S.: writing-original draft preparation. R.V.-C., B.W., T.J.J., M.P., and R.S.S.: writing-review and editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Keywords
- Campylobacter
- broiler chickens
- cohort
- litter
- microbiome
- network
PubMed: MeSH publication types
- Journal Article
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.