The protection level against Salmonella Enteritidis was evaluated in chickens after in ovo treatment with different species of Lactobacillus spp. inoculated into the air cell or by immersion in broth culture. Two hundred forty embryonated eggs were distributed into 8 groups, corresponding to treatments with Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus salivarius, and control. On d 18 of incubation, 4 groups were inoculated with 0.1 mL of inoculum in the air cell and 4 groups were immersed for 3 min in culture of each treatment. Two days after hatching, 0.5 mL of Salmonella Enteritidis culture was inoculated by the intraesophageal route. On d 5 of life, the chicks were euthanized and the ceca were processed to obtain Salmonella Enteritidis counts. There was no decrease in Salmonella Enteritidis colonization of chick ceca, regardless of treatment or route of administration. Lactobacillus spp. samples used in the treatment showed no probiotic potential in chicks when inoculated in ovo, in relation to Salmonella Enteritidis inhibition in poultry ceca.

The expression of immune response in the form of leukocytic infiltrate by CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ cells in the epithelium and in the intestinal lamina propria of chicks was studied in the present work by means of immunohistochemical reaction. The chicks were treated with Lactobacillus spp. or cecal microflora (CM) and experimentally challenged or not with Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis. The 320 birds utilized were divided into 4 groups containing 80 chicks each and submitted to treatments with Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and CM. Each group was subdivided into 4 subgroups of 20 birds each and classified into a subgroup that did not receive treatment (negative control), subgroup treated, subgroup treated and challenged with Salmonella Enteritidis, and subgroup only challenged with Salmonella Enteritidis (positive control). The results obtained show that the treatment with L. reuteri, L. salivarius, L. acidophilus, or CM and challenged or not with Salmonella Enteritidis determine immune response in the form of leukocytic infiltrate by CD3+ and CD8+ lymphocytes followed by CD4+ in the epithelium and in the lamina propria of the duodenum, jejunum, and cecum of chicks up to 12 d of age. The quantity of CD3+ lymphocytes was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the intestine of chicks treated with L. acidophilus or CM and challenged or not with Salmonella Enteritidis; however, the higher quantity of CD8+ lymphocytes was in the intestine of chicks treated with CM and challenged with Salmonella Enteritidis. The duodenum was the segment in which the immune response by T cells (CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+) was stimulated with the greatest intensity, followed by, respectively, the jejunum and cecum. The quantity of CD3+ lymphocytes present in the duodenum, jejunum, and cecum increases with the age of chicks, independent of the stimulus determined by treatments or challenge.

This study aimed to characterize the in vitro and in vivo adhesion and immunomodulatory effect of Lactobacillus strains isolated from chickens. Lactobacillus samples isolated from 65-wk-old birds were identified by PCR; their adhesion was evaluated in vitro via basement membrane-type cell matrix and in vivo through carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl amino ester staining inoculation in 1-d-old birds and duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and cecum collections at 1, 4, 12, and 24 h after inoculation. The 5 best adhesive samples at the in vitro test formed a pool for total IgA and IgG measurement in sera and intestinal fluid. The birds were divided into groups by inoculation scheme: group 1 was treated with a pool of Lactobacillus spp. at 2-d-old and challenged 1 d later with Salmonella Enteritidis and then treated again with a pool of Lactobacillus spp. at 4 d of age; group 2 was treated with a pool of Lactobacillus spp. at 2 and 4 d of age; group 3 was challenged with Salmonella Enteritidis at 3 d of age; and group 4 was a negative control. Collections were taken at 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 d after the first inoculation. The results suggest that basement membrane matrix use represents an important technique for triage of samples for subsequent in vivo evaluation and that carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl amino ester staining is efficient for identifying this bacterial characteristic. The Lactobacillus-treated groups (1 and 2) presented the highest IgA concentrations at the end of the experiment (12,054.6 and 10,568.4 ng/mL, respectively). The group 2 IgG values in intestinal fluid exceeded those of the other 3 groups (P < 0.05), peaking at 6.419 ng/mL. In most serum collections, the Lactobacillus-treated groups (1 and 2) did not differ significantly in IgG concentrations (P > 0.05), whereas group 3 presented the highest concentration of this antibody. It is concluded that there was greater adhesion of strains in the cecum and an important correlation between in vitro and in vivo results. These results also suggest the immunomodulatory action of Lactobacillus spp. in the chicken.

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of organic acids (OA) and competitive exclusion product (CE) on growth performance, intestinal morph

Avian salmonellosis is a disease caused by bacteria of the genus Salmonella that can cause three distinct diseases in birds: pullorum diseases, fowl typhoid, and paratyphoid infection. Various wildlife species are susceptible to infections by Salmonella, regardless of whether they live in captivity or freely in the wild. The present study verified the presence of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis in three captive specimens of Amazona aestiva. The study involved a total of 103 birds undergoing rehabilitation to prepare for living in the wild, after having been captured from animal traffickers and delivered to the Centrofauna Project of the Floravida Institute in São Paulo, Brazil. This is the first report of Salmonella Enteritidis isolation in A. aestiva that originated from capture associated with animal trafficking; Salmonella was detected during the study by the serologic method of rapid serum agglutination on a plate with bacterial isolate. The antimicrobial profile exam of the isolated samples demonstrated sensitivity to ampicillin, cefaclor, ciprofloxacin, and cloranfenicol. The three samples also presented resistance to more than four antibiotics. The presence of the genes invA and spvC was verified by PCR technique and was associated with virulence and absence of class 1 integron, a gene related to antimicrobial resistance. The commercial antigen for pullorum disease was shown to be a useful tool for rapid detection in the screening of Salmonella of serogroup D(1) in Psittaciformes. New studies on Salmonella carriage in birds involved in trafficking must be performed to better understand their participation in the epidemiologic cycle of salmonellosis in humans and other animals