XENOFOOD-An Autoclaved Feed Supplement Containing Autoclavable Antimicrobial Peptides-Exerts Anticoccidial GI Activity, and Causes Bursa Enlargement, but Has No Detectable Harmful Effects in Broiler Cockerels despite In Vitro Detectable Cytotoxicity on LHM Cells

• Published in: Pathogens (Basel) 2023-03, Vol.12 (3), p.458
• Main Authors: Fodor, András, Vellai, Tibor, Hess, Claudia, Makrai, László, Dublecz, Károly, Pál, László, Molnár, Andor, Klein, Michael G, Tarasco, Eustachio, Józsa, Sándor, Ganas, Petra, Hess, Michael
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: anti-microbial; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Antimicrobial agents; Antimicrobial peptides; Bacteria; Bacterial infections; Bioassays; Body weight; Broilers (Poultry); Bursa of Fabricius; Cell culture; CFCM (cell-free conditioned media); Conversion ratio; Culture media; Cytotoxicity; Deactivation; Enlargement; Entomopathogenic nematodes; EPB (entomo-pathogenic bacteria, Xenorhabdus, (X. budapestensis, X. szentirmaii, X. innexii), and Photorhabdus species); Experiments; Feed conversion; Feed supplements; Food and nutrition; Genes; Growth rate; Health aspects; Immune system; Ingredients; Jejunum; MDR; multidrug resistance; NR-AMP (non-ribosomal-templated antimicrobial peptides); Parasites; Pathogens; Peptides; Prevention; Symbionts; Testing; Toxicity
• ISSN: 2076-0817; 2076-0817
• DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12030458

Entomopathogenic bacteria are obligate symbionts of entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) species. These bacteria biosynthesize and release non-ribosomal-templated hybrid peptides (NR-AMPs), with strong, and large-spectral antimicrobial potential, capable of inactivating pathogens belonging to different prokaryote, and eukaryote taxa. The cell-free conditioned culture media (CFCM) of and efficiently inactivate poultry pathogens like , , and . To learn whether a bio-preparation containing antimicrobial peptides of origin with accompanying (in vitro detectable) cytotoxic effects could be considered a safely applicable preventive feed supplement, we conducted a 42-day feeding experiment on freshly hatched broiler cockerels. XENOFOOD (containing autoclaved , and cultures developed on chicken food) were consumed by the birds. The XENOFOOD exerted detectable gastrointestinal (GI) activity (reducing the numbers of the colony-forming units in the lower jejunum. No animal was lost in the experiment. Neither the body weight, growth rate, feed-conversion ratio, nor organ-weight data differed between the control (C) and treated (T) groups, indicating that the XENOFOOD diet did not result in any detectable adverse effects. We suppose that the parameters indicating a moderate enlargement of bursas of Fabricius (average weight, size, and individual bursa/spleen weight-ratios) in the XENOFOOD-fed group must be an indirect indication that the bursa-controlled humoral immune system neutralized the cytotoxic ingredients of the XENOFOOD in the blood, not allowing to reach their critical cytotoxic concentration in the sensitive tissues.