Investigations into the effects of antibiotics on the chicken gut microflora and development of gut-associated immune response

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Subtherapeutic use of antibiotics in feed is a common practice in commercial poultry production as a way of prevention of bacterial infections and promoting growth and performance. However, the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria is becoming a common issue in both animals and humans. In addition, antibiotic therapy often results in destabilization of gut microbiota and could adversely affect interactions between microbiota and the host. Many food-borne pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter are associated with poultry meat, eggs and other products. The gut microbiota of chickens is capable of controlling food-borne pathogens. Therefore, inappropriate use of antibiotics not only affects animal health, but also raises food safety concerns. This program investigates interactions between the gut microbiota and the chicken immune system. Furthermore, it seeks to determine the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of these effects. More specifically, the proposal will: 1) examine the effects of dietary antibiotics on the composition of gut microbiota; 2) study cellular and molecular changes in the gut-associated immune system exerted by changes in the microbiota; 3) investigate gene expression in the gut-associated immune system following stimulation with structural components of microbiota bacteria. The proposed program is expected to provide fundamental understanding of the molecular/cellular mechanisms of dietary antibiotics effects on development of the chicken immune system. Furthermore, this research will lay the foundation for identification of immunomodulatory attributes of bacteria present in the microbiota community.