Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of berry phenolic extract (BPE) as water supplement on the colonization of C. jejuni in poultry cecum and in modulation of the gut microbiome.
Methods: A total of 120 one-day-old chicks were infected with a marked C. jejuni RMKm strain for 21 days, in duplicate trials, to determine effect of BPE on C. jejuni colonization. In a separate experiment, 200 one-day-old chicks were used for 42 days, in duplicate trials, to determine the effect of BPE on natural colonization of C. jejuni and modulation of the cecal microbiome by shotgun sequencing.
Results: A kanamycin resistance cassette obtained from Escherichia coli DH5α plasmid pjet1.1 was inserted into the genome of C. jejuni RM1221 and eight logs of this marked strain (C. jejuni RMKm) were used to infect day-old chicks. We observed that 1.0 g Gallic Acid Equivalent (GAE)/liter of BPE reduced C. jejuni colonization by one log in broiler cecum compared to the control group. Natural transmission of C. jejuni RMKm from chicks to drinking water was observed with a contamination level of two to five logs without BPE, but none in presence of 1.0 g GAE/liter of BPE. In the natural colonization determination experiment, we observed 1.0 g GAE/liter of BPE reduced natural colonization of Campylobacter by two logs in cecum compared to controls. BPE supplementation was associated with altered bacterial, DNA viral, and archaeal communities, as well as functional genes and resistomes of the chicken ceca.
Significance: This study showed that bioactive extracts from berry pomace can serve as a potential alternative to synthetic antimicrobials and reduce C. jejuni colonization in farm animals, specifically poultry, to improve product safety.