Progress 08/01/12 to 07/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project includes 4-H youths, undergraduate and graduate students, academia, individuals from all levels of poultry production including farmers, farm supervisors, poultry veterinarians and processing facility managers, stakeholders from the animal health industry, and government officials. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One-on-one mentoring was provided by the PI and Co-PI at the University of Arizona to three Master graduate students. These students, as well as twelve undergraduate students, received hands on training in molecular and microbiological techniques in furtherance of efforts to construct a Recombinant Attenuated Salmonella Vaccine (RASV) to express Campylobacter proteins, and animal husbandry, vaccination, challenge, necropsy, plating and enumeration of Campylobacter, along with analysis of results during poultry trials. Two of the three graduate students are currently in doctoral programs, and the third continued to a research technician position after graduation. Three of the undergraduate students are currently in veterinary programs, two continued and graduated from a Master's program and are working in scientific laboratories. Another is working at a veterinary clinic to reapply to veterinary school. One undergraduate student completed her Honors Thesis, in partial fulfillment of her graduation requirements for a BS from the University of Arizona, in the area of immunity assay development in furtherance of objective four of this project. She is now currently a Master's student in Public Health. At the University of Minnesota, two graduate students were trained as epidemiologists and gained experience in methods such as survey development and analysis, data analysis, and microbiome analysis as related to Campylobacter and its interaction with the rest of the chicken and poultry environment microbiome. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Numerous confidential meetings with companies involved in the development, manufacture, and global distribution of animal vaccines were held to discuss the viability and implementation of the developing vaccine technology over the course of this project, to obtain input regarding experiments, and to form partnerships with those able to assist in developing the technology. Presentations were given at various types of conferencescomprising of students, academia, industry representatives, and government officials including at the international Campylobacter, Helicobacter and Related Organisms (CHRO) conferences, the international Vaccine Technology Conference, national Conferences of Research Workers in Animal Diseases (CRWAD), national NC-1202 technical committee meetings, state Governor's Economic Development Conference, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Campylobacter conference. Graduate students presented their work related to this technology to other students, faculty and staff by way of institutional seminars and via the preparation of their theses. Undergraduate students presented the technology to other students and staff for their classes and honors programs. Dissemination of results for specific activities are listed below: 1) In July 2013, we offered a symposium entitled "Campylobacter in Poultry, a Worldwide Approach to Diagnosis and Control" that was conducted in conjunction with the annual Association for Avian Pathologists (AAAP) meeting. The annual AAAP meeting is a primary continuing education venue for U.S. poultry veterinarians and poultry pathologists and also is well-attended by international poultry veterinarians. The symposium was attended by 232 participants, and 90 submitted evaluations of the symposium. These respondents self-classified themselves as Industry (56%), Academia (11%), Government (11%), Students (6%), Other (9%), and No Response (8%). Ratings indicated participants agreed that the Symposium provided them a greater understanding of Campylobacter's link and impact on human health and foodborne illness, methods currently being used in other countries, and potential implications for future research. In addition participants felt the Symposium provided valuable information on the design and implementation of Campylobacter control programs for farms and processing plants. 2) A cross-sectional, anonymous survey was conducted between January 22 and June 10, 2018. The survey was created using Qualtrics, with input from industry. Qualtrics was selected as a survey medium as it provides easily accessible, user-friendly survey interface that can be accessed on computer and mobile devices. In addition, this survey was administered anonymously and all data analysis was performed at group levels to prevent identification of survey participants.The overall objective of this survey was to collect information regarding past and current pre- and post-harvest interventions that have been implemented in the industry to reduce Campylobacter contamination in broiler chickens. Because decisions on farm management practices can be made centrally by broiler companies or by individual farmers, the survey aimed to target all levels of poultry production, including farmers, farm supervisors, poultry veterinarians and processing facility managers.The survey asked about biosecurity, water, feed and litter management on broiler farms. At post-harvest level, interventions and control strategies implemented at each processing stage (scalding, defeathering, evisceration, chilling, post-chilling, and secondary processing) were asked. Additionally, the survey aimed to assess stakeholder's awareness and understanding of Campylobacter in broiler chickens and the newly mandated FSIS performance standards. Survey participants were recruited through various means: emails were sent to members of the Association of Veterinarians in Broiler Production, specific company representatives were contacted by phone or email, and announcements were sent out by the National Chicken Council and the US Poultry & Egg Association. Eighty-one survey responses were initiated, with 56 responses completed and included 20 processing facility manager, food safety or quality assurance team members, 18 broiler farm managers, and 18 poultry veterinarians. Regarding the details of the processing plants and broiler farms, the median number of chickens slaughtered per week at the processing plants is 727,500 (range 80,000 ~ 60,000,000), the median number of farms under supervision of the broiler managers is 120 (range 16 ~ 350), and the median number of farms under supervision of the poultry veterinarians is 500 (range 200 ~ 2000). Results will be distributed to participants, and a manuscript submitted for publication. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Campylobacter remains a leading pathogen causing illnesses worldwide. In the U.S., CDC estimates approximately 0.8 million cases of foodborne illnesses annually caused by Campylobacter, representing 9% of all foodborne illnesses caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites and resulting in 15% of all hospitalization related to foodborne illnesses each year. Along with the typical symptoms of diarrhea and abdominal pain, Campylobacter infection remains the most commonly identified cause of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), with as many as 40% of GBS cases in the U.S. estimated to be triggered by Campylobacter infection. GBS is an autoimmune disorder in which a person's own immune system damages the nerves, causing muscle weakness and paralysis. About 1 in every 1,000 Campylobacter case leads to GBS. Other complications include reactive arthritis and bowel disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The highest risk of infection is associated to poultry, with up to 80% of human campylobacteriosis cases attributable to predominantly C. jejuni in poultry. However, there currently exists no vaccine or effective intervention to substantially reduce Campylobacter loads on the farm. One of the main reasons a vaccine to reduce Campylobacter in chickens is very difficult to develop is because Campylobacter is normal flora in the chicken, and normally do not cause disease to chickens. Our vaccine constructs use an attenuated Salmonella vector to express and deliver C. jejuni proteins in the intestines of chickens, allowing a significant minimum of at least a 2 log reduction of C. jejuni in the intestinal load of chickens. The major goals of this project are 1) to further the vaccine as much as possible with industry input via objectives one to four, with the goal of industry investing in the vaccine to continue development towards commercialization after the grant period; and 2) extension efforts via objective five including conducting industry-wide surveys and developing mathematical risk-based models to provide the poultry industry knowledge and tools to provide a safer poultry supply. Chicken vaccine trials and experiments conducted to develop an effective vaccine, specifically listed as objectives one to four, generated sufficient data providing immunogenic compositions to reduce intestinal colonization by Campylobacter for successful prosecution of two patents in the U.S. (Pat. No. 9,328,148,issued 5/3/16;and 10,030,054, issued 7/24/18) and one patent in China (ZL201380012681.7 issued 5/24/17). One patent is pending in Brazil (BR112014018732-0). Additionally, collaborations with industry regarding these experiments and patents during the period of this project resulted in the execution of a License Agreement, allowing these patents to be licensed and therefore, the continued development of this vaccine by an industry partner beyond the grant period. Estimates are that a reduction in Campylobacter poultry colonization of 2-3 log CFU/g of cecal contents could reduce the risk of human campylobacteriosis by 75-100%. No measure currently exists that is able to decrease poultry Campylobacter colonization. If successful, this vaccine would be the most effective measure to significantly reduce Campylobacter in poultry, allowing USDA FSIS performance standards to be met, leading to a safer food supply not onlyin the U.S. but globally, and substantially impacting the incidence of human disease. For objective five, to better understand the industry's strategies to mitigate Campylobacter contamination in broiler chicken products and to meet USDA FSIS performance standards on Not-Ready-To-Eat (NRTE) chicken products, a web-based survey using Qualtrics was developed and in summary, an online cross-sectional, national survey (1/22/18 - 6/10/18) of the U.S. broiler industry was conducted using Qualtrics recorded 81 survey responses initiated, with 56 responses completed. The survey was divided into two sections. The first section focused on collecting information regarding understanding of Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) performance standards for Campylobacter and Salmonella in poultry products and understanding of Campylobacter epidemiology and ecology in broiler chickens. The second part of the survey focused on collecting information about characteristics (flock size, number of chickens processed per week, microbiological testing to detect/enumerate Campylobacter and Salmonella, etc.) of the farm(s) or processing plant(s) with which the survey participant works as well as any interventions and management strategies implemented on farm and/or at processing facility to mitigate Campylobacter contamination in broiler chicken products. Specifically, poultry veterinarians and broiler managers were asked to list specific interventions and management practices applied to drinking water, feed, litter, and biosecurity and their opinion on the intervention's efficacy to reduce Campylobacter colonization in broiler chickens. Processing plant managers were asked about specific processing practices implemented from scalding to secondary processing and any antimicrobial interventions implemented at each stage to reduce microbial contamination in broiler products. Though anonymous and voluntary, individuals from all the major broilercompaniesparticipated and included 20 processing facility manager, food safety or quality assurance team members, 18 broiler farm managers, and 18 poultry veterinarians. Major findings include significantly less understanding of Campylobacter knowledge and FSIS performance standards compared to Salmonella, particularly at the farm level. Likewise, there were few efforts to mitigate Campylobacter contamination, contrary to efforts taken to control Salmonella. Regarding a vaccine, if Campylobacter can be potentially eliminated, majority of veterinarians (13/16) and farm managers (16/17) responded a willingness to pay for a Campylobacter vaccine and if reduced, not eliminated, 9/16 of veterinarians and 12/17 farm managers responded they would pay for a vaccine. This supports industry in their decision to continue funding the vaccine. Results will be shared with participants, and a manuscript is almost ready for submission. The results allow a better understanding of the distribution and frequency of different broiler management and processing practices applied to the industry, in order to make better decisions to mitigate Campylobacter contamination in broiler products across the U.S. broiler industry. Regarding risk-based mathematical models, a broiler house flight simulator was developed, which is a platform to simulate the effects of disease and interventions within broiler production. The simulator follows the cycle of production in the broiler house, and can show the dynamics of interacting pathogens, subclinical agents such as foodborne agents, and a decision tree for antimicrobial intervention in response to disease mortality. Various parameters can be modified. This model can facilitate the evaluation of interventions and decisions for poultry production challenges. A manuscript is being revised to be re-submitted for publication.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Armstrong, A, Curtiss R, Roland K, Law B. Use of a Recombinant Attenuated Salmonella Typhimurium Vector Vaccine for the Reduction of Campylobacter jejuni in Broiler Chickens. In Abstracts of posters and oral presentations from the 17th International Workshop on Campylobacter, Helicobacter and Related Organisms,15-19th September 2013. University of Aberdeen, 2013. J Med Microbiol. (http://jmm.sgmjournals.org/content/62/Pt_9/suppl/DC1)
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
McCloskey, A. Development of Recombinant Attenuated Salmonella Vaccines Expressing Campylobacter jejuni genes Cj0113, Cj0982c, Cj1656c or Cj0404 for Reduction of Colonization by C. jejuni. (Master's thesis). University of Arizona, 2014.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Johnson, S. Development of Salmonella vector vaccines targeting Campylobacter jejuni dps and ctsR proteins for the reduction of colonization in broiler chickens. (Master's thesis). University of Arizona, 2014.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Armstrong A, Roland K, Curtiss III R, Law B. Applications of recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccines expressing various Campylobacter jejuni antigens for the reduction of C. jejuni. In Abstracts of posters and oral presentations from the 18th International Workshop on Campylobacter, Helicobacter, and Related Organisms, November 1-5, 2015, Rotorua, New Zealand.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
D. Galarneau, R. Singer, and R. Wills. Broiler House Flight Simulator: A System Dynamics Model for Disease Management in Poultry Production. In revision to be resubmitted.
|
Progress 08/01/16 to 07/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:A formal survey was revised via Qualtrics by the Singer Group at the University of Minnesota, regarding pre- and post-harvest intervention practices for both Salmonella and Campylobacter, general knowledge of Campylobacter ecology, and willingness to pay for a Campylobacter vaccine if available.This isto better understand what the U.S. broiler industry is currently doing and willing to do, to mitigate contamination in broiler chicken products and to meet USDA Food Safety and Inspection (FSIS) performance standards on Not-Ready-To-Eat (NRTE) chicken products. The target audience includes various stakeholders in the broiler industry such asindividual farm managers, poultry veterinarians, farm and processing managers, and corporate management. Additionally, presentations were given at conferences with the target audiences comprising of academia, industry, and government officials interested in food safety. Numerous meetings were conducted with companies involved in the development, manufacture, and global distribution of animal vaccines to conduct collaborative research. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Law laboratory at the University of Arizona was involved in the training of one graduate and three undergraduate students, who received hands on training including in areas of animal husbandry, vaccination, challenge, necropsy, plating and enumeration of Campylobacter, and immunity assessment. At the University of Minnesota, two graduate students worked with the Co-PI (Singer) on the development of the dynamic simulation model and the development and distribution of the survey on Qualtrics. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Students presented the technology to other students and staff for their classes and honors programs. Conference presentations and workshops were used to disseminate findings and progress of the work to research professionals and academics, as well as representatives of regulatory agencies and foundation agencies. Numerous meetings were held with investors and officials from vaccine companies for collaborative research and development of the vaccine for commercial use. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Food safety remains a high level concern to the general public. Salmonella and Campylobacter are the most common foodborne pathogens in the US and the world, with the highest risks of infection associated with poultry. The poultry industry has few viable options for reducing either pathogen in the poultry production system, and up to 80% of human campylobacteriosis cases are attributable to poultry. Complications of infection with Campylobacter include Guillain-Barre syndrome, reactive arthritis, and irritable bowel syndrome. However, currently, no effective intervention or vaccine is available to lower Campylobacter loads in poultry, and optimal strategies for cost-effective and substantial reduction of Campylobacter loads on the farm remain unclear. During this reporting period, vaccine studies were conducted to develop and evaluate combinations of vaccine constructs, including assessing industry compatible vaccine practices to reduce Campylobacter in chickens. A finalized copy of an online survey for industry was completed and in distribution via Qualtrics to evaluate current intervention strategies for both Salmonella and Campylobacter, general knowledge of Campylobacter ecology, and willingness to pay for a Campylobacter vaccine if available.This isto better understand what the U.S. broiler industry is currently doing and willing to do, to understand if interventions for Salmonella would also reduce Campylobacter, and to mitigate contamination in broiler chicken products and to meet USDA Food Safety and Inspection (FSIS) performance standards on Not-Ready-To-Eat (NRTE) chicken products. A dynamic simulation model of the broiler production system continues to be revised, which will allow us to predict the efficacy of interventions. Therefore, continued progression in the development of this vaccine, and continued progression in the evaluation of combination of interventions were accomplished. Successful completion of these goals in the future would allow industry to make and implement combinations of interventions, including adoption of the vaccine, with the eventual outcome of reduced cases of human illness due to Campylobacter. Specifically, major activities completed during this reporting period include substantial progress in objectives two, three, four, and five. For objectives two and three, poultry vaccine studies were conducted for various combinations of vaccine constructs and delivery methods (spray/water) in conjunction with industry and results were positive in the significant reduction of Campylobacter, indicating the vaccine is compatible for commercialization. For objective four, immunity studies are continuing and for objective 5, the survey incorporating previous stakeholder feedback has been completed and is in distribution via Qualtrics online and along with continuation of the dynamic simulation model, will allow us to predict the efficacy of interventions aimed at reducing Campylobacter loads in the broiler house and therefore the loads on the final product.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Presentation: Law, B., "Update on Campylobacter," 2016 Annual Meeting of NC-1202 Enteric Diseases of Food Animals: Enhanced Prevention, Control & Food Safety in Chicago, IL. December 2016.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Poster: Law, B., Hwang, H., and R. Singer. "Survey of the U.S. Broiler Industry to Identify Pre- and Post-Harvest Interventions Being Used to Control Campylobacter", USDA NIFA Food Safety Project Directors Meeting, Tampa, FL. July 2017.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Presentation: Law, B. "Impact of Poultry on Campylobacteriosis," Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Campylobacter: What we know and what we can do about it conference, Seattle, WA. December 2016
|
Progress 08/01/15 to 07/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:A formal survey was finalized via Qualtrics by the Singer Group at the University of Minnesota, regarding pre- and post-harvest intervention practices to reduce Campylobacter contamination in broiler chickens. This survey is ready for distribution targeting a diverse group of stakeholders within the broiler industry, including individual farm managers, poultry veterinarians, farm and processing managers, and corporate management. Dr. Singer has scheduled a meeting with the National Chicken Council to review the survey and discuss the optimal manner in which to launch the survey and recruit participants. Additionally, presentations were given at conferences with the target audiences comprising of academics, industry representatives, and government officials, including the international, bi-annual Campylobacter, Helicobacter and Related Organisms conference, the primary venue for discussion of progress in the understanding of Campylobacter epidemiology, pathogenesis and control. Numerous meetings were conducted with companies involved in the development, manufacture and global distribution of animal vaccines to discuss the vaccine technology developed in the course of this project. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Law laboratory at the University of Arizona was involved in the training of three graduate/professional students and six undergraduate students, who received hands on training including in areas of animal husbandry, vaccination, challenge, necropsy, plating and enumeration of Campylobacter, and immunity assessment. One undergraduate student completed her Honors Thesis, in partial fulfillment of her graduation requirements for a BS from the University of Arizona, in the area of immunity assay development in furtherance of objective fourof this work. A workshop in collaborative research in food safety was offered at the University of Arizona Food Safety Consortium Annual Conference, 2015. At the University of Minnesota, one PhD student worked with the Co-PI (Singer) on the development of the dynamic simulation model and the final version of the survey on Qualtrics. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?At the University of Arizona, undergraduate students presented the technology to other students and staff for their classes and honors programs. Conference presentations and workshops were used to disseminate findings and progress of the work to research professionals and academics, as well as representatives of regulatory agencies. Numerous meetings were held with investors and officials from nationally and internationally relevant vaccine companies to discuss the viability and implementation of the developing vaccine technology associated with this work. Industry has been engaged forthe use of the Qualtrics-based survey tool developed at the University of Minnesota. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Food safety remains a high level concern to the general public. Salmonella and Campylobacter are the most common foodborne pathogens in the US and the world, with the highest risks of infection associated with poultry. The poultry industry has few viable options for reducing either pathogen in the poultry production system, and up to 80% of human campylobacteriosis cases are attributable to poultry. Complications of infection with Campylobacter include Guillain-Barre syndrome, reactive arthritis, and irritable bowel syndrome. The CDC reports the preliminary 2015 incidence rate from Campylobacter infection as 12.97 per 100,000 of confirmed infections from culture, and when including reports that include non-culture confirmed infections, the rate increases to 17.12 per 100,000, surpassing the incidence of Salmonella at 16.63 per 100,000 when including non-culture methods (Salmonella culture confirmed infections at 15.89 per 100,000). However, currently, no effective intervention or vaccine is available to lower Campylobacter loads in poultry, and optimal strategies for cost-effective and substantial reduction of Campylobacter loads on the farm remain unclear. During this reporting period, vaccine studies were conducted to develop and evaluate vaccine constructs, including assessing industry compatible vaccine practices and use of additional antigens to reduce Campylobacter in chickens. A finalized copy of a survey for industry was completed and is ready to distribute via Qualtrics to evaluate current intervention strategies to reduce Campylobacter. Additionally, stakeholder feedback from industry indicates that instead of a symposium, information would be more effectively disseminated by means of a website which allowed continued independent access to research and survey results. A dynamic simulation model of the broiler production system continues to be revised, which will allow prediction of the efficacy of various interventions for the reduction of Campylobacter in poultry production environments, including the vaccine formulation(s) being developed in this project. Therefore, in this reporting period, both continued progression in the development of an effective vaccine, and continued progression in the evaluation of interventions for the reduction of Campylobacter in poultry were accomplished. Continued progress toward the production of a viable vaccine and assessment mechanism with increased accuracy for prediction of interventional efficacy serves industry, potentially allowing producers to implement combinations of interventions, including adoption of the vaccine, with the eventual outcome of reduced cases of human illness due to Campylobacter. Specifically, major activities completed during this reporting period include substantial progress in objectives two, three, four, and five. For objective two, the Salmonella vector is being optimized to increase the effectiveness and consistency of the vaccine expressing antigens previously shown to be effective in reduction of Campylobacter loads in poultry vaccine trials. Vaccine poultry studies of a third vaccine construct newly under investigation in relationship to the development of this vaccine demonstrated markedly lower levels of Campylobacter in the vaccinated groups compared to non-vaccinated groups indicating potential for its use in an improved vaccine formulation. In one trial of vaccination using an RASV expressing this gene, 60% of vaccinated chickens were not colonized or colonized below detectable levels as compared to 100% colonization for non-vaccinated chickens. In a second trial, less than 10% of vaccinated chickens were colonized following Campylobacter challenge as compared to more than 80% of non-vaccinated chickens. In objective three, additional trials were conducted to evaluate delivery methods and various vaccination doses in response to input from industry stakeholders. For objective four, immunity studies have begun for purposes of assessing the immune responses associated with Campylobacter reduction following vaccination. For objective five, a final survey incorporating previous stakeholder feedback has been completed using Qualtrics and is ready for distribution. Appropriate industry liaisons have been engaged to increase the rate and quality of industry participation in this survey. Iterative improvement of the dynamic simulation model allowing prediction of the efficacy of interventions aimed at reducing Campylobacter loads in the broiler house and therefore the loads on the final product have continued.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Armstrong A, Roland K, Curtiss III R, Law B. Applications of recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccines expressing various Campylobacter jejuni antigens for the reduction of C. jejuni. In Abstracts of posters and oral presentations from the 18th International Workshop on Campylobacter, Helicobacter, and Related Organisms, November 1-5, 2015, Rotorua, New Zealand.
|
Progress 08/01/14 to 07/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience: The Singer group at the University of Minnesota is currently working with the Hofacre group at University of Georgia to finalize a further survey of industry regarding current Campylobacter and Salmonella control methods, with the assistance of the US Poultry and Egg Association and the National Chicken Council to reach various industry stakeholders. It is anticipated that this survey will be administered in the fall of 2015. In addition to the surveys, several presentations were given at various national conferences with the target audiences comprising of academia, industry, and government officials. Furthermore, numerous meetings were conducted with vaccine companies to discuss the vaccine technology. An advisory group of various stakeholders (also consisting of academia, industry, and government officials) was convened to discuss the progress of this project, address their questions and gather their recommendations. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? One-on-one mentoring was provided by the PI and Co-PI at the University of Arizona to two graduate students. These students, as well as twelve undergraduate students also received hands on training in molecular and microbiological techniques in furtherance of efforts to construct a Recombinant Attenuated Salmonella Vaccine (RASV) to express Campylobacter proteins, as well as animal husbandry, vaccination, challenge, necropsy, plating and enumeration of Campylobacter, and analysis of results during poultry challenge and vaccination trials. At the University of Minnesota, one PhD student worked with the Co-PI on the development of the dynamic simulation model and the final development of the survey. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Graduate students at the University of Arizona presented their work related to this technology to other students, faculty and staff by way of institutional seminars and via the preparation of their theses. Research progress was presented at the national Conference of Research Workers in Animal Disease (CRWAD) as well as at the annual NC-1202 technical committee meeting (Enteric Diseases of Food Animals: Enhanced Prevention, Control and Food Safety), on December 2014 in Chicago, IL and the Emerald Coast Veterinary Conference, Sandestin, Florida, June 2015, to academia and industry members. Numerous face-to-face meetings were held with officials from vaccine companies to discuss the vaccine technology. A formal midterm progress report was sent to the advisory committee and discussed in a teleconference with principal investigators in April. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During this reporting period, poultry vaccine studies were conducted to develop and evaluate a vaccine to reduce Campylobacter in chickens. Surveys of industry have been continued for the purpose of evaluating current intervention strategies, and a symposium is being organized for early 2017. A dynamic simulation model of the broiler production system is being revised, which will allow the PIs to predict the efficacy of interventions. Therefore, continued progression in the development of this vaccine, and continued progression in the evaluation of interventions and combinations of interventions were accomplished. Successful completion of the goals of this project in the future would allow industry to make and implement combinations of interventions, including adoption of the vaccine, with the eventual outcome of reduced cases of human illness due to Campylobacter. Specifically, major activities completed during this reporting period include substantial progress in objectives two, three, and five. For objective two, the Salmonella vector is being optimized to increase the effectiveness and consistency of the vaccine in reducing colonization of poultry by the human foodborne pathogen Campylobacter. Additionally, expression of the Campylobacter proteins was confirmed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for new constructs. In objective 3, to examine optimal vaccine delivery methods, a spray cabinet was obtained and staff trained for preliminary testing. For objective five, the development of a dynamic simulation model of the broiler production system is continuing. This model will allow us to predict the efficacy of interventions aimed at reducing Campylobacter loads in the broiler house and therefore the loads on the final product. In this objective, coordination of a symposium for early 2017 has begun.
Publications
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
McCloskey, A. Development of Recombinant Attenuated Salmonella Vaccines Expressing Campylobacter jejuni genes Cj0113, Cj0982c, Cj1656c or Cj0404 for Reduction of Colonization by C. jejuni. (Master's thesis). University of Arizona, 2014.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Johnson, S. Development of Salmonella vector vaccines targeting Campylobacter jejuni dps and ctsR proteins for the reduction of colonization in broiler chickens. (Master's thesis). University of Arizona, 2014.
|
Progress 08/01/13 to 07/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: In July 2013, we developed a symposium entitled “Campylobacter in Poultry, a Worldwide Approach to Diagnosis and Control” that was conducted in conjunction with the annual Association for Avian Pathologists (AAAP) meeting. The annual AAAP meeting is a primary continuing education venue for U.S. poultry veterinarians and poultry pathologists and also is well-attended by international poultry veterinarians. The symposium was attended by 232 participants, and 90 submitted evaluations of the symposium. These respondents self-classified themselves as Industry (56%), Academia (11%), Government (11%), Students (6%), Other (9%), and No Response (8%). Ratings indicated participants agreed that the Symposium provided them a greater understanding of Campylobacter’s link and impact on human health and foodborne illness, methods currently being used in other countries, and potential implications for future research. In addition participants felt the Symposium provided valuable information on the design and implementation of Campylobacter control programs for farms and processing plants. The grant and AAAP cosponsored the filming of the Symposium. This will be made available to interested parties online. In addition to this symposium, several presentations were given at various international, national, and state conferences with the target audiences comprising of academia, industry, government officials, and/or vaccine experts. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? One-on-one mentoring was provided by the PI and Co-PI at the University of Arizona to two graduate students, and a research technician. These students, as well as twelve undergraduate students also received hands on training in molecular and microbiological techniques in furtherance of efforts to construct a Recombinant Attenuated Salmonella Vaccine (RASV) to express Campylobacter proteins, and animal husbandry, vaccination, challenge, necropsy, plating and enumeration of Campylobacter, and analysis of results during poultry trials. At the University of Minnesota, two MPH students worked with the Co-PI (Singer) on the development of the dynamic simulation model. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results of the work will be disseminated in various ways. First, the symposium we hosted at the annual AVMA/AAAP meeting had a very large attendance of a broad range of professionals, including veterinarians and researchers with interest in Campylobacter biology. The symposium covered aspects of Campylobacter ranging from on-farm ecology to human health burden of illness. The symposium was recorded in digital HD so that we can further disseminate the information in the symposium. The use of the risk model is being disseminated through industry-based symposia and conversations. The broiler industry has been very responsive thus far and has provided input to the model. In addition to the symposium, several other presentations were given at conferences. A presentation of results was given at an international scientific conference, the Campylobacter, Helicobacter and Related Organisms (CHRO) conference in September 2013 in Aberdeen, Scotland to a primarily scientific /academic audience consisting of research professionals in academia and industry. A separate presentation was given and discussion held at a satellite CamVac meeting in Aberdeen. CamVac is a consortium supported by the Danish Council of Strategic Research with the goal of supporting the development of a Campylobacter vaccine, consisting of researchers and industry. A presentation was given at Flagstaff, AZ in October, 2013 at the Arizona Governor's Economic Development Conference to government officials, businesses, and organizations to introduce the background of Campylobacter illnesses, and importance of a vaccine to reduce Campylobacter in chickens to prevent food borne campylobacteriosis in humans. A fourth presentation will be given at an international technical vaccine conference, the Vaccine Technology V conference, in June 2014 in Mexico to key leaders including industry, government, and foundations regarding the results and impact of Campylobacter on the public health burden. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Food safety remains a high level concern to the general public. Salmonella and Campylobacter are the most common foodborne pathogens in the US and the world, with the highest risks of infection associated with poultry. The poultry industry has few viable options for reducing either pathogen in the poultry production system, and up to 80% of human campylobacteriosis cases are attributable to poultry. Complications of infection with Campylobacter include Guillain-Barre syndrome, reactive arthritis, and irritable bowel syndrome. Risk assessment indicates that just a 2-log reduction of the Campylobacter load on chickens would reduce the incidence of campylobacteriosis associated with chicken meals by a factor of 30. The CDC reports the 2013 incidence rate from Campylobacter infection as 13.82 per 100,000. A reduction by a factor of 30 would reduce this rate to 0.46 per 100,000. In other words, chicken would no longer be a major risk factor and human campylobacteriosis cases would be dramatically reduced. However, currently, no effective intervention or vaccine is available to lower Campylobacter loads in poultry to this level, and optimal strategies for cost-effective and substantial reduction of Campylobacter loads on the farm remain unclear. During this reporting period, laboratory and poultry vaccine studies were conducted to develop and evaluate a vaccine to reduce Campylobacter in chickens. Surveys of industry were conducted to evaluate current intervention strategies, and a symposium was offered to provide valuable information regarding Campylobacter. A dynamic simulation model of the broiler production system is being developed, which will allow us to predict the efficacy of interventions. Therefore, continued progression in the development of this vaccine, and continued progression in the evaluation of combination of interventions were accomplished. Successful completion of these goals in the future would allow industry to make and implement combinations of interventions, including adoption of the vaccine, with the eventual outcome of reduced cases of human illness due to Campylobacter. Specifically, major activities completed during this reporting period include substantial progress in objectives two and five. For objective two, vaccine studies (three replicate trials) testing an initial format 2-way vaccine were conducted, with highly variable results. Compared to the controls (non-vaccinates), the vaccinated groups demonstrated a reduction of 1 log, 2 logs, and 7 logs, which, though highly promising, indicates the necessity of further modifications to the Salmonella vector and/or expressed antigens to increase the effectiveness and consistency of the vaccine. Three additional genes have been cloned into the Salmonella vector, yielding three additional potential candidates which are being analyzed to determine their utility in a 2 or 3 way component vaccine. Objectives three and four will be accomplished in the fourth and fifth reporting periods. For objective five, we have begun the development of a dynamic simulation model of the broiler production system. This model will allow us to predict the efficacy of interventions aimed at reducing Campylobacter loads in the broiler house and therefore the loads on the final product. In this objective, we also coordinated a half-day symposium on Campylobacter at the annual AAAP / AVMA meeting, held in Chicago in July 2013. The symposium covered aspects of Campylobacter ranging from on-farm ecology to human health burden of illness.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Armstrong, A, Curtiss R, Roland K, Law B. Use of a Recombinant Attenuated Salmonella Typhimurium Vector Vaccine for the Reduction of Campylobacter jejuni in Broiler Chickens. In Abstracts of posters and oral presentations from the 17th International Workshop on Campylobacter, Helicobacter and Related Organisms,15-19th September 2013. University of Aberdeen, 2013. J Med Microbiol. (http://jmm.sgmjournals.org/content/62/Pt_9/suppl/DC1)
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Progress 08/01/12 to 07/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: The symposium that will be offered in July 2013 will reach veterinarians and researchers with interest in Campylobacter in poultry. The symposium will cover aspects of Campylobacter ranging from on-farm ecology to human health burden of illness. We anticipate a minimum of 100 attendees at the symposium, but we will also be recording the symposium to be able to reach a broader target audience in the future. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Mentoring one-on-one was provided by the PI and Co-PI at the University of Arizona to two graduate students and a research technician in order to construct a Recombinant Attenuated Salmonella Vaccine (RASV) to express Campylobacter proteins, and to conduct the chicken vaccine trials including general husbandry of the chickens, vaccination, challenge, necropsy, plating and enumeration of Campylobacter, and analysis of results. Five undergraduate students were also trained on various aspects of the chicken vaccine trials. At the University of Minnesota, two MPH students worked with the co-PI (Singer) on the development of the dynamic simulation model. One of these students will continue this training in Year 2. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results of the work will be disseminated in various ways. First, the symposium we are hosting at the annual AVMA/AAAP meeting will reach at least 100 veterinarians and researchers with interest in Campylobacter biology. The symposium will cover aspects of Campylobacter ranging from on-farm ecology to human health burden of illness. We will be recording the symposium in digital HD so that we can further disseminate the information in the symposium. The use of the risk model is being disseminated through industry-based symposia and conversations. The broiler industry has been very responsive thus far and has provided input to the model. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This first reporting period included major activities to be completed for objectives one and five. For objective one, the third Campylobacter gene was cloned into the Salmonella vector. This Recombinant Attenuated Salmonella Vaccine (RASV) was tested in chicken vaccine trials, in three replicates, and found to be non-protective against Campylobacter challenge when compared to non-vaccinates. This gene will not be used in the component vaccine for objective two, to be accomplished in the next two reporting periods. Objectives three and four will be accomplished in the fourth and fifth reporting periods. For objective five, we have begun the development of a dynamic simulation model of the broiler production system. This model will allow us to predict the efficacy of interventions aimed at reducing Campylobacter loads in the broiler house and therefore the loads on the final product. In this objective, we also coordinated a half-day symposium on Campylobacter at the annual AAAP / AVMA meeting, held in Chicago in July 2013. The symposium will cover aspects of Campylobacter ranging from on-farm ecology to human health burden of illness.
Publications
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