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

自2014年5月起，加拿大所有肉鸡孵化场停止使用抗生素控制早期肉鸡死亡率。因此，抗生素的替代品是养鸡业的首要任务。抗菌素耐药性的出现和传播是由许多相互关联的因素驱动的复杂问题，因此，动物疾病已将注意力集中在基于免疫的控制方法上。疫苗是一种众所周知的激活免疫系统以改善疾病保护的方法，但对于某些疾病还不存在疫苗，当需要立即产生保护效果时，例如面对疾病爆发时，疫苗可能不有效。因此，需要其他策略来产生保护性免疫。“第一反应者”或免疫系统的先天成分通过识别感染性有机体的特征作为“危险”信号来检测感染。这些危险信号之一是细菌DNA的一种模式特征，称为CpG基序（CpG- odn）。我们已经证明CpG-ODN对鸡的致命细菌感染有显著的保护作用。本研究计划通过呼吸系统粘膜表面递送CpG-ODN，研究CpG-ODN在家禽孵化场新生肉鸡中的应用。我们将在孵化后立即在孵化场的新生肉鸡**中施用CpG-ODN，从而避免其他刺激对免疫系统的复杂影响

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.**