Engineered Probiotic E. coli Strain Shows Promise in Reducing Salmonella in Poultry
Researchers engineered a probiotic E. coli Nissle strain to express Salmonella adhesion factors, enabling it to outcompete pathogenic Salmonella for intestinal attachment in poultry. Salmonella carriage in chicken intestines is a major source of food-borne illness in the U.S., and antibiotic-resistant strains are becoming untreatable. The engineered strain significantly reduced Salmonella colonization in broilers, layers, and turkeys in experimental challenges, potentially offering a new food safety tool.
Researchers developed a genetically engineered probiotic strain by inserting Salmonella type 1 fimbrial genes into E. coli Nissle 1917, a bacterium already designated as Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) by the FDA and used clinically as a human probiotic. The engineered strain displays higher adherence to host intestinal cells than wild-type Salmonella carrying the same adhesion factors, allowing it to competitively exclude pathogenic Salmonella from colonizing poultry intestines. In vivo experiments across broiler chickens, laying hens, and turkeys demonstrated significant reduction in Salmonella intestinal carriage. The strain was engineered without antibiotic resistance markers, using an in vivo selection system instead, addressing safety concerns for use as a probiotic. This approach represents an alternative to traditional animal management and antimicrobial strategies that have had limited success in controlling Salmonella in poultry flocks.
What's missing
The study's limitations and open questions are not detailed in this abstract, including: whether the protective effect persists over extended periods or multiple generations of poultry; potential off-target effects or ecological impacts of introducing the engineered strain into poultry microbiomes; regulatory pathway and timeline for commercialization; cost-effectiveness compared to existing interventions; and whether the approach would be effective against other Salmonella serotypes or strains with different adhesion mechanisms.
What different sources said
- bioRxivCenter
Engineering a Hyper-Adherent E. coli Nissle Probiotic Strain that Reduces Intestinal Carriage of SalmonellaPathogens in Poultry
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