Poultry Science Department, University of Arkansas, 1260 West Maple Street, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, USA.
J Food Prot. 2010 Feb;73(2):251-7. doi: 10.4315/0362-028x-73.2.251.
Campylobacter is a leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States, and epidemiological evidence indicates poultry products to be a significant source of human Campylobacter infections. Caprylic acid, an eight-carbon medium-chain fatty acid, reduces Campylobacter colonization in chickens. How caprylic acid reduces Campylobacter carriage may be related to changes in intestinal microflora. To evaluate this possibility, cecal microbial populations were evaluated with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis from market-age broiler chickens fed caprylic acid. In the first trial, chicks (n = 40 per trial) were assigned to four treatment groups (n = 10 birds per treatment group): positive controls (Campylobacter, no caprylic acid), with or without a 12-h feed withdrawal before slaughter; and 0.7% caprylic acid supplemented in feed for the last 3 days of the trial, with or without a 12-h feed withdrawal before slaughter. Treatments were similar for trial 2, except caprylic acid was supplemented for the last 7 days of the trial. At age 14 days, chicks were orally challenged with Campylobacter jejuni, and on day 42, ceca were collected for denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and Campylobacter analysis. Caprylic acid supplemented for 3 or 7 days at 0.7% reduced Campylobacter compared with the positive controls, except for the 7-day treatment with a 12-h feed withdrawal period. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis profiles of the cecal content showed very limited differences in microbial populations. The results of this study indicate that caprylic acid's ability to reduce Campylobacter does not appear to be due to changes in cecal microflora.
空肠弯曲菌是美国食源性疾病的主要致病菌之一，流行病学证据表明家禽产品是人感染空肠弯曲菌的重要来源。辛酸，一种八碳中链脂肪酸，可以减少鸡中的空肠弯曲菌定植。辛酸如何减少空肠弯曲菌的携带可能与肠道微生物群的变化有关。为了评估这种可能性，用变性梯度凝胶电泳法评估了喂食辛酸的商品代肉鸡盲肠微生物群。在第一次试验中，将雏鸡（每组 40 只）分为四组（每组 10 只）：阳性对照（空肠弯曲菌，无辛酸），在屠宰前有无 12 小时的禁食期；试验最后 3 天在饲料中添加 0.7%辛酸，在屠宰前有无 12 小时的禁食期。第二次试验的处理方法类似，只是在试验的最后 7 天添加辛酸。在 14 日龄时，雏鸡口服空肠弯曲菌攻毒，在 42 日龄时收集盲肠进行变性梯度凝胶电泳和空肠弯曲菌分析。0.7%的辛酸添加 3 天或 7 天可降低空肠弯曲菌的含量，但在 7 天添加 12 小时禁食期的处理除外。盲肠内容物的变性梯度凝胶电泳图谱显示微生物群的差异非常有限。本研究结果表明，辛酸降低空肠弯曲菌的能力似乎不是由于盲肠微生物群的变化。
