PULLMAN, Wash. – A vaccine could be developed to prevent Campylobacter jejuni in chickens, drastically cutting cases of food poisoning and saving millions of dollars, says a Washington State University scientist presenting his work at the Society for General Microbiology’s (SGM) Spring Conference in Dublin, Ireland this week.
Campylobacter is the leading cause of food-borne illness.
It is found in the gut of many animals, including chickens. If contaminated poultry is not prepared and cooked properly, the micro-organism can be transmitted to humans where it may cause severe gastrointestinal disease.
Scientists at WSU are studying the maternal antibodies that are passed from hens to their chicks.
“These antibodies protect chicks from becoming colonized by Campylobacter in the first week of life,” said Michael Konkel, a professor in the WSU School of Molecular Biosciences who is leading the research. “Our group has identified the bacterial molecules that these antibodies attack, which has given us a starting point for a vaccine against Campylobacter.
“We have already found that chickens injected with these specific molecules found on the surface of Campylobacter jejuni produce antibodies against the bacterium,” he said. “This response partially protects them from colonization.”
A vaccine could be a powerful weapon to help control food-borne illness.
“Preventing contamination of poultry at slaughter has not been effective at reducing illness in humans,” Konkel said. “It has been shown that about 65 percent of chickens on retail sale in the UK are contaminated with Campylobacter.
“Ideally, the best way to prevent contamination is to stop chickens on the farm from becoming colonized with this microorganism in the first place, which could be achieved by vaccination,” he said. “Our goal within the next six months is to test a vaccine for chickens that will reduce Campylobacter colonization levels.
“There’s still a long way to go,” he said, “but I’m confident our lab and others are moving in the right direction.”
Controlling food-borne illness through vaccination would have a significant impact both in the UK and globally.
“A safe food supply is central to human health,” Konkel said. “If we can decrease the load of human pathogens in food animals, then we can reduce human illness. A one percent reduction in the number of cases of food-borne illness would save the UK around £20 million per year.
“In developing countries, where people and food animals often share the same environment, diseased animals also pose a direct public health risk; vaccination would help mitigate this risk,” he said.
Konkel will present his talk, “Campylobacter jejuni exploits host cell processes” on Wednesday, March 28. Details of the conference are available here.
The (SGM) is a professional body for scientists who work in all areas of microbiology. It is the largest microbiology society in Europe and has around 5,000 members worldwide. The society provides a common meeting ground for scientists working in research and in fields with applications in microbiology including medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmaceuticals, industry, agriculture, food, the environment and education. An important function of the society is the promotion of the public understanding of microbiology.