Aerosol delivery of synthetic DNA containing CpG motifs in broiler chicks at hatch under field conditions using a commercial-scale prototype nebulizer provided protection against lethal Escherichia coli septicemia

K.B. Goonewardene; S. Popowich; S. Gebhardt; T. Gunawardana; A. Gupta; S. Kurukulasuriya; R. Karunarathna; M. Liu; B. Chow-Lockerbie; L. Ayalew; K.A. Ahmed; Houman Kamali; S.K. Tikoo; M. Foldvari; P. Willson; J. Boire; K. Roberts; N. Ambrose; C. Simonson; S. Gomis

Poultry Science (Mar 2021)

Aerosol delivery of synthetic DNA containing CpG motifs in broiler chicks at hatch under field conditions using a commercial-scale prototype nebulizer provided protection against lethal Escherichia coli septicemia

K.B. Goonewardene,
S. Popowich,
S. Gebhardt,
T. Gunawardana,
A. Gupta,
S. Kurukulasuriya,
R. Karunarathna,
M. Liu,
B. Chow-Lockerbie,
L. Ayalew,
K.A. Ahmed,
Houman Kamali,
S.K. Tikoo,
M. Foldvari,
P. Willson,
J. Boire,
K. Roberts,
N. Ambrose,
C. Simonson,
S. Gomis

Affiliations

K.B. Goonewardene: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada
S. Popowich: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada
S. Gebhardt: RMD Engineering Inc., Saskatoon, SK S7K 3J7, Canada
T. Gunawardana: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada
A. Gupta: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada
S. Kurukulasuriya: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada
R. Karunarathna: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada
M. Liu: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada
B. Chow-Lockerbie: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada
L. Ayalew: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada
K.A. Ahmed: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada
Houman Kamali: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada; Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A9, Canada
S.K. Tikoo: Vaccinology and Immunotherapy, School of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 7N 5E3, Canada
M. Foldvari: School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
P. Willson: Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E5, Canada
J. Boire: RMD Engineering Inc., Saskatoon, SK S7K 3J7, Canada
K. Roberts: RMD Engineering Inc., Saskatoon, SK S7K 3J7, Canada
N. Ambrose: Sunrise Farms, Surrey, British Columbia V3W 1C9, Canada
C. Simonson: Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A9, Canada
S. Gomis: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada; Corresponding author:

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 100, no. 3
p. 100934

Abstract

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Synthetic DNA containing CpG motifs (CpG-ODN) are potent innate immune stimulators in neonatal and adult broiler chickens against bacterial septicemia. We have recently demonstrated that intrapulmonary (IPL) delivery of CpG-ODN as microdroplets under laboratory conditions can protect neonatal chickens against lethal Escherichia coli septicemia. The objectives of this study were to develop a commercial-scale poultry nebulizer (CSPN) that can deliver CpG-ODN as microdroplets in neonatal broiler chicks in the hatcheries and study the efficacy of CSPN in inducing immune-protective effects under different environmental conditions in 2 geographical locations in Canada. Three field experiments were conducted in commercial poultry hatcheries during different seasons of the year in Saskatchewan and British Columbia, Canada. Neonatal broiler chicks (n = 8,000/experiment) received CpG-ODN by the IPL route in the CSPN chamber for 30 min, and control chicks received distilled water (DW) for 30 min. Broiler chicks (CpG-ODN—240 chicks/experiment and DW—40 chicks/experiment) were randomly sampled from all locations of the CSPN after nebulization and challenged with a lethal dose of E. coli to examine the CpG-ODN nebulization induced protection. We found a significant level (P < 0.05) of protection in broiler chicks against E. coli challenge, suggesting that the newly built CSPN successfully delivered CpG-ODN via the IPL route. We found that when the CSPN was maintained at humidex 28°C or below and relative humidity (RH) between 40 and 60%, neonatal birds were significantly (P < 0.05) protected against E. coli septicemia after IPL delivery of CpG-ODN. By contrast, protection in chicks was adversely affected when the CSPN was maintained at the humidex of 29°C or higher and RH of 70%. Overall, the present study successfully built a CSPN for CpG-ODN delivery in chicks at the hatchery and revealed that the temperature, humidity, and humidex were critical parameters in CSPN for efficient delivery of CpG-ODN.

Published in Poultry Science

ISSN: 0032-5791 (Print); 1525-3171 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Agriculture: Animal culture
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/poultry-science

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