Browsing by Subject "Turkeys"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Cellulitis in turkeys: characterization of causative agents and preventive measures.
    (2011-08) Thachil, Anil Johny
    Cellulitis continues to cause extensive losses in turkey production in USA due to severe mortality, carcass condemnation and treatment costs. Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium septicum have been recognized as the primary causative agents of cellulitis in turkeys. In this study, cellulitis lesions and mortality in turkeys were successfully reproduced with Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium septicum isolated from cellulitis cases. Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium septicum isolates varied in their ability to produce spores as well as toxins. We observed differences in the toxicity and biological effects of different strains of C. perfringens and C. septicum in vitro, and in vivo. .Though the spore count and hemolytic effects of C. perfringens were found to be higher than C. septicum in vitro, mortality studies in mice and turkeys showed that C. septicum was much more potent than C. perfringens. However, gross lesions produced by C. perfringens and C. septicum were almost identical. Surprisingly, the development of cellulitis lesions and mortality was markedly higher in 7-week-old birds than in 3-week-old birds. The results of our study demonstrated for the first time that both C. perfringens and C. septicum can multiply in the subcutaneous and muscle tissues and cause cellulitis lesions in turkeys. Our cellulitis disease model offers promise as a challenge model in the development of vaccines against cellulitis in turkeys. Both bivalent C. perfringens and C. septicum toxoid and C. septicum toxoid were found to be safe and offered complete protection against cellulitis following homologous challenge under experimental conditions. The use of these vaccines enabled us to reduce the mortality and antibiotic usage in preventing cellulitis in commercial turkeys. Multiple vaccinations or use of a day old vaccine followed by a booster dose probably will offer better protection than a single vaccination at 6-weeks of age against cellulitis due to C. perfringens and C. septicum in turkeys.
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    Determining the Efficacy of a Dairy-Origin Probiotic, Propionibacterium freudenreichii subspecies freudenreichii, against Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella Heidelberg in Turkeys
    (2018-02) Valsala Devi Thankappan Nair, Divek
    Poultry contributes to more than half of foodborne salmonellosis in the U.S. through contaminated meat, eggs, and other products. Recently, Salmonella Heidelberg (SH) has emerged as a major serovar transmitted to humans via poultry. Cecal colonization of SH and consequent fecal shedding of the pathogen contaminate the environment and carcasses, necessitating interventions to control SH in poultry. Efficacy of a dairy-originated non-host specific probiotic bacterium, Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. freudenreichii NRRL 3523 (PF), against a multidrug-resistant (MDR) SH in turkeys has been narrated in this thesis. In vitro experiments revealed that PF reduced the virulence factors of SH associated with its colonization in the host (P<0.05). In addition, PF exhibited anti-SH qualities such as growth reduction, adhesion to intestinal epithelial cells, and survival to low pH and bile salts without possessing pathogenic characters (hemolysis, invasion into the epithelial cells and antibiotic resistance) (P>0.05). Further, the efficacy of PF against SH colonization and its dissemination to internal organs such as liver and spleen in turkeys were validated using in vivo experiments in 2-, 7-, and 12-week-old commercial turkeys. A high PF viability in turkey cecum (3.5-5.0 log10 CFU/ml) was observed in different age group turkeys after supplementing 1010 CFU/ml through drinking water. The PF supplementation resulted in 1.6 to 2.2-, 1.0 to 1.3-, and 1.7- to 2.6- log10 CFU/g reduction of SH in the cecum of turkeys at 2-, 7- and 12-week, respectively (P<0.05), compared to the controls. A reduced dissemination of SH to liver and spleen (P<0.05) also resulted. Populations of PF increased the relative abundance of several production-associated beneficial bacteria, including carbohydrate fermenting and short chain fatty acid producing groups (P<0.05). However, SH inoculation caused an increase in abundance of microflora associated with inflammatory response (P<0.05). Overall the results revealed that PF could be used in turkeys to control MDR SH colonization in the cecum and its invasion of liver and spleen without adversely affecting the cecal microbiome. Whereas SH challenge resulted in an abundance of inflammation associated bacteria, and the condition was effectively alleviated by increased abundance of other beneficial bacteria as a result of PF supplementation.
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    Efficacy of prebiotics and probiotics on growth performance in poultry: A protocol for a systematic review
    (2020) Hwang, Haejin; Miller, Elizabeth A.; Johnson, Abigail; Valeris-Chacin, Robert; Nault, Andre J.; Singer, Randall S.; Johnson, Timothy J.
    The use of prebiotics and probiotics as dietary additives in poultry has been practiced widely as an alternative to antibiotics and to support gut health. Despite the wealth of products available, there is currently a lack of clear scientific evidence that the use of prebiotics and probiotics beneficially impact growth performance in poultry. The aim of this protocol paper is to document the process of a systematic review addressing the following review question: Does oral administration of a prebiotic (defined as dietary fiber, dietary carbohydrates, oligosaccharides, or yeast cell wall) or probiotic (defined or undefined single or mixed cultures of living bacteria, fungi, and/or yeast) provide beneficial effects on growth performance in broiler chickens and turkeys? The proposed systematic review will provide evidence on the effectiveness of prebiotics and probiotics for enhancing growth performance in poultry, and will help to alleviate high skepticism, criticism, and confusion over the use of prebiotics and probiotics in poultry among poultry producers.