Chicken study probes resistance to Campylobacter

Campylobacter is a cause of food poisoning in people and is often found in chickens. In the UK alone, it is estimated that more than half a million people are infected with Campylobacter each year.

To determine the types and numbers of microbes present, Roslin Institute scientists analysed the genetic makeup of gut microbiota from chicken lines with different resistance to the bacteria. Transplanted gut bacteria only survived in the susceptible chickens for a limited time and those chickens became even more susceptible to Campylobacter, the scientists were surprised to find.

According to Dr Cosmin Chintoan-Uta, study co-lead, the Roslin Institute: “Given the results of previous studies in mice, we thought that inherited differences in resistance to gut pathogens might be transferable by transplanting gut microbiota from chickens that are resistant to chickens that are susceptible.”

Trong Wisedchanwet, study co-lead, the Roslin Institute, added: “We were surprised to find that while heritable differences in resistance of chickens to Campylobacter exist, these are not explained by significant variation in the gut microbiota.” The results of the study, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Scottish Government via the Rural and Environmental Science and Analytical Services programme of research, are published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.