Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Currently, the number of traditional small and medium-size backyard and integrated farms are increasing significantly in the US. These farms are commonly antibiotic/chemical-free and produce both crops and livestock in the same facility. Poultry, either broiler or layers, or both, are the common livestock component in these farms. According to recent reports, the mortality rate of poultry grown in antibiotic/chemical-free farms, including backyard and integrated farms, is increased significantly due to various reemerging diseases including coryza. In addition, production efficiency/growth rate of poultry is also a major issue of these farming systems due to the absence of appropriate growth promoters. In this study, we aim to control higher poultry mortality by limiting major infectious diseases specifically infectious coryza, caused by Avibacterium paragallinarum (AP) and its co-infectious agent, infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), and improve production efficiency by adding natural supplements specifically plant phenolic and probiotics in water. To achieve these goals, we propose two major specific aims: 1) Investigate the sources of AP and/or IBV in the farm environment and their transmission routes to chickens, and compare their phenotype and genotype with isolates from clinical specimens collected by clinal labs, and limit their transmission through better farm management; and 2) Evaluate the impact of bioactive probiotic and/or plant-derived phenolics in improving poultry health/immunity and microbiota, and in controlling colonization of AP or AP/IBV using a day-old chick model. This study will develop a strategy to control poultry diseases and improve their growth rate, which will lead to sustainable integrated poultry farming.
Animal Health Component
33%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
33%
Applied
33%
Developmental
34%
Goals / Objectives
The major goals of this study are:1.Investigate the sources of AP and IBV in the farm environment and their transmission routes to chicks, compare their phenotype and genotype with the isolates from clinical specimens, and limit their transmission through better farm management; This broad specific aim has three sub-specific aims:1A: Determine the prevalence of AP and IBV in potential reservoirs in the BF and ICLF environment, and the clinical specimens/carcasses received by the Animal Pathological Laboratory in Eastern Maryland.1B: Determine the relatedness of isolated AP retrieved from various sources and their association to regional and national outbreaks through whole genome sequence analysis.1C: Assess the effectiveness of current biosecurity protocols including cleaning and disinfection and recommend on-farm practice strategies that can reduce transmission of AP/IBV to chicks.2: Evaluate the impact of bioactive probiotic and/or plant-derived phenolics in improving poultry health/immunity through modulating the gut-lung axis to better control colonization of AP or AP/IBV using a day-old chick model.
Project Methods
To determine the prevalence and potential reservoirs of AP and IBV in pasture farms, specifically BFs and ICLFs with poultry components, we will collect approximately 3,600 samples from three selected farms each year for two years. In addition to the farm samples, we will also collect 120 clinical specimens/carcasses per year for two rears which are received by Veterinary Pathology Laboratory in Maryland and determine the prevalence of AP and IBV. Isolation and identification of AP in collected farm samples and the clinical specimens/carcasses will be performed in Dr. Biswas's BSL-2 lab located in the Dept. of ANSC, UMD. Briefly, solid samples will be homogenized and then 1 gm of homogenized samples or 1ml of liquid samples will be enriched in BHI broth with supplement [BBL™ IsoVitaleX™ Enrichment (BD Diagnostics)] as well as serial diluted and directly plated on chocolate agar plate. In addition, genomic DNA will be extracted from all collected samples (both farm samples and clinical specimens) and suspected colonies for AP from culture using the AllPrep DNA/RNA Mini Kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA) following the manufacturer's recommendations. Confirmation will be performed using PCR using species-specific primers for both AP and IBV. We will also determine the relatedness of isolated AP retrieved from various sources and their association to regional and national outbreaks through using whole genome sequencing.To assess the effectiveness of current biosecurity protocols, we will conduct a professional biosecurity audit of each farm site during the survey using a certified biosecurity auditor. To assess the effectiveness of current cleaning and disinfection protocols at each site, we will use the prevalence of AP and/or IBV in each flock after cleaning and disinfection (before placing the chicks) as measure of cleaning and disinfecting effectiveness. Findings of both assessments will be used to develop on-farm practice strategies/suggestions to address the gaps in biosecurity protocols and improve cleaning and disinfection protocols to reduce contamination in the farm. Finally, we will evaluate the impact of bioactive probiotic and/or plant-derived prebiotics in improving poultry health/immunity and microbiome to control AP or AP/IBV colonization using an artificially challenged chick trials.