A promising step towards safer poultry industry
Finding vaccine candidates for Campylobacter jejuni
Poultry is an important source of affordable protein globally. However, the poultry industry faces challenges in ensuring food safety due to C. jejuni contamination. C. jejuni is the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in the United States, with a majority of infections linked to poultry consumption. Controlling C. jejuni contamination has become crucial for the industry.
Dr. Li Zhang, a food safety expert at Mississippi State University, is dedicated to developing a vaccine against C. jejuni to enhance food safety.Recent research by Dr. Zhang has identified three potential vaccine candidates. The main challenge in developing a Campylobacter vaccine is that existing vaccines do not protect against different strains of the bacteria. To address this, researchers used computer programs to identify shared genes among various strains of C. jejuni. With funding from USPOULTRY and the Foundation, the researchers found three highly conserved and expressed genes that produce surface proteins consistent across different strains. These genes are promising candidates for the vaccine.
The discovery of these vaccine candidates is a significant milestone in preventing C. jejuni infections in poultry and improving food safety. A successful C. jejuni vaccine would lower the number of foodborne illnesses caused by this pathogen and enhance the safety of poultry products. It would also have positive economic implications, reducing costs associated with recalls and mitigating the risk of foodborne illnesses.
With the continue funding from the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experimentation Station, the researchers will study the function of these vaccine candidates during C. jejuni colonization in chicken intestines.Dr. Zhang aims to develop a subunit vaccine using these candidates and evaluate its effectiveness in reducing C. jejuni colonization in chicken intestines.
In summary, the identification of these vaccine candidates is a significant step towards reducing C. jejuni contamination in chickens. It has the potential to reduce foodborne illnesses, enhance the safety of poultry products, and have positive impacts on public health and the poultry industry.
Cover photo by By De Wood, Pooley, USDA, ARS, EMU. - Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.