Oligodeoxynucleotides containing CpG motifs (CpG-ODN) as an alternative to antibiotics in the broiler chicken industry

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The use of antibiotics to control early broiler chick mortality was discontinued from May, 2014 in all Canadian broiler chick hatcheries. Hence, alternatives to antibiotics are a priority in the chicken industry. The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance are complex problems driven by numerous interconnected factors, thus, diseases in animals has focused attention on immune based control methods. Vaccines are a well-known method to activate the immune system for improved disease protection, but they do not exist for some diseases and may not be effective when an immediate protective effect is required e.g., in the face of a disease outbreak. Therefore, alternate strategies to produce protective immunity are required. The "first responder" or innate component of the immune system detects an infection by recognizing features characteristic of the infectious**organisms as "danger" signals. One of these danger signals is a pattern characteristic of bacterial DNA, known as CpG motifs (CpG-ODN). We have demonstrated a significant protective effect of CpG-ODN against lethal bacterial infections in chickens. This proposed research program will study the utility of CpG-ODN in neonatal broiler chickens at the poultry hatchery by delivering CpG-ODN through mucosal surfaces of the respiratory system. We will administer CpG-ODN in neonatal broiler**chickens at the hatchery immediately following hatching, thus avoiding the complicating effects of other stimuli on the immune system.**