초록
<P><B>Abstract</B><P>BACKGROUND<P><I>Campylobacter jejuni</I> (<I>C. jejuni</I>), a widely distributed global foodborne pathogen, primarily linked with contaminated chicken meat, poses a significant health risk. Reducing the abundance of this pathogen in poultry meat is challenging but essential. This study assessed the impact of <I>Lactobacillus</I>‐fermented rapeseed meal (LFRM) on broilers exposed to <I>C. jejuni‐</I>contaminated litter, evaluating growth performance, <I>Campylobacter</I> levels, and metagenomic profile.</P></P><P>RESULTS<P>By day 35, the litter contamination successfully colonized broilers with <I>Campylobacter</I> spp., particularly <I>C. jejuni</I>. In the grower phase, LFRM improved (<I>P <</I> 0.05) body weight and daily weight gain, resulting in a 9.2% better feed conversion ratio during the pre‐challenge period (the period before artificial infection; days 13-20). The LFRM also reduced the <I>C. jejuni</I> concentration in the ceca (<I>P <</I> 0.05), without altering alpha and beta diversity. However, metagenomic data analysis revealed LFRM targeted a reduction in the abundance of <I>C. jejuni</I> biosynthetic pathways of l‐tryptophan and l‐histidine and gene families associated with transcription and virulence factors while also possibly leading to selected stress‐induced resistance mechanisms.</P></P><P>CONCLUSION<P>The study demonstrated that LFRM inclusion improved growth and decreased cecal <I>Campylobacter</I> spp. concentration and the relative abundance of pivotal <I>C. jejuni</I> genes. Performance benefits likely resulted from LFRM metabolites. At the molecular level, LFRM may have reduced <I>C. jejuni</I> colonization, likely by decreasing the abundance of energy transduction and l‐histidine and l‐tryptophan biosynthesis genes otherwise required for bacterial survival and increased virulence. © 2024 The Authors. <I>Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture</I> published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.</P></P></P>