Kafkas Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi 2017 , Vol 23 , Issue 3
Antimicrobial Peptides in Housefly Larvae (Musca domestica) affect Intestinal Lactobacillus acidophilus and Mucosal Epithelial Cells in Salmonella pullorum-infected Chickens
WANG Z1, WANG J2, ZHANG Y1, WANG X1, ZHANG X1, LIU Y1, XI J1, TONG H1, WANG Q2, JIA B1, SHEN H1
1College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, 832003, PR CHINA
2College of Agronomy, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, 832003, PR CHINA
DOI : 10.9775/kvfd.2016.16901 Pullorum disease, which is one the most serious intestinal diseases in poultry production, is generally treated by adding antibiotics to the feed of infected chickens. Although antibiotics are generally quite effective against the disease, they can harm small intestinal flora and mucosa. The objective of this experiment was to determine if antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from housefly (Musca domestica) larvae can be used to treat pullorum disease. The study included AMPs extracted from Salmonella enteric serovar Pullorum-infected larvae as well as non-infected ones (referred to as induced-AMPs and non-induced AMPs, respectively). Tests were then conducted to determine (i) the activity of these AMPs against S. pullorum and (ii) the effects of the AMPs on intestinal Lactobacillus acidophilus and mucosa epithelial cells in S. pullorum-infected chicks. The results showed that S. pullorum-induced AMPs and non-induced AMPs both exhibited antimicrobial activity against S. pullorum. Small intestinal L. acidophilus populations in convalescent chicks that had been treated with induced AMPs showed similar patterns to those in healthy chicks. Induced AMPs also had relatively little effect on the number of mast cells, lymphocyte cells, and goblet cells in the small intestine of convalescent chicks compared with healthy chicks. In contrast, treatment with antibiotics generally reduced the number of all three cell types, especially in the duodenum. In conclusion, AMPs from housefly larvae offer potential for effective treatment of S. pullorum-infected chickens without the harmful side effects of antibiotics. Keywords :