Effects ofLactobacillus FermentumSupplementation on Body Weight and Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Expression inCampylobacter Jejuni-Challenged Chickens

Due to the interest in using probiotic bacteria in poultry production, this research was focused on evaluating the effects ofLactobacillus fermentumBiocenol CCM 7514 administration on body weight gain and cytokine gene expression in chickens challenged withCampylobacter jejuni. One-hundred and eight 1-day old COBB 500 broiler chickens were equally assigned to four experimental groups at random. In the control group (C) chicks were left untreated, whereas in groups LB and LBCj a suspension ofL. fermentumwas administered. A suspension ofC. jejuniwas subsequently applied to groups Cj and LBCj. Body weight was registered, and the individuals were later slaughtered; cecum samples were collected at 12, 36 and 48 h post-infection (hpi). The entire experiment lasted seven days. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to determine expression levels of IL-1 beta, IL-15, IL-17, and IL-18 at each time point. Pathogen-infected individuals were observed to weigh significantly less than those fed with the probiotic. Significant differences were also found in transcript abundance; expression of IL-15 was downregulated by the probiotic and upregulated byC. jejuni. The effects of bacterial treatments were time-dependent, as the expression profiles differed at later stages. The present outcomes demonstrate thatL. fermentumboth reduces the impact ofC. jejuniinfection on chicken body weight and regulates positively pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, which ultimately increase bird well-being and improves production.