Abstract:
Salmonellosis is a common infection in poultry, which results in huge economic losses
in the poultry industry. At the same time, Salmonella infections are a threat to public health, since
contaminated poultry products can lead to zoonotic infections. Antibiotics as feed additives have
proven to be an effective prophylactic option to control Salmonella infections, but due to resistance
issues in humans and animals, the use of antimicrobials in food animals has been banned in Europe.
Hence, there is an urgent need to look for alternative strategies that can protect poultry against
Salmonella infections. One such alternative could be to strengthen the innate immune system in
young chickens in order to prevent early life infections. This can be achieved by administration of
immune modulating molecules that target innate immune cells, for example via feed, or by in-ovo
applications. We aimed to review the innate immune system in the chicken intestine; the main site of
Salmonella entrance, and its responsiveness to Salmonella infection. Identifying the most important
players in the innate immune response in the intestine is a first step in designing targeted approaches
for immune modulation.
