2025.1.20
RESEARCH NEWS STORY
January 20, 2025
Trained Immunity: A New Frontier in Poultry Production
Researchers review current advances in trained immunity—a promising avenue for preventing infectious diseases in chickens
Trained immunity, a modification of cells in the innate immune system, may represent a new way of protecting poultry from infectious diseases. In a recent review article, researchers from Japan highlight key findings in this field, focusing on how vaccines and dietary supplementation with β-glucans can enhance the innate immune system. Their efforts will pave the way towards more research in this unexplored area of avian immunology, leading to healthier and more productive chicken farms.
Image title: Promising strategies to boost the innate immune system of poultry
Image caption: Researchers review recent literature on trained immunity in poultry, highlighting how vaccines and dietary supplementation can lead to an enhanced innate immune system.
Image credit: Prof. Yukinori Yoshimura from Hiroshima University, Japan
License type: Original content
Usage restrictions: Cannot be reused without permission
In the ever-evolving world of poultry production, maintaining the health of chickens is vital not only for guaranteeing animal welfare but also for ensuring a safe and sustainable food supply. The immune system thus plays a crucial role in protecting chickens from a variety of diseases.
The adaptive immune system, which includes highly specific responses driven by cellular memory, has long been the focus of vaccination strategies. However, recent research has highlighted the potential of trained immunity as a promising approach to disease prevention in various animals. Trained immunity can enhance the innate immune system—a less specific line of defense—through epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming of immune cells. However, the concept of trained immunity in poultry remains underexplored.
Against this backdrop, a research team led by Professor Yukinori Yoshimura from Hiroshima University and The Open University of Japan recently published a review article in The Journal of Poultry Science in Volume 61 on March 13, 2024. This review highlights the effects of vaccination and β-glucan supplementation on trained immunity in chickens.
“One of the key findings of our review was that the Newcastle disease/infectious bronchitis vaccine, widely used in poultry farming, has been shown to increase the expression of certain toll-like receptors (TLR7 and TLR21),” says Prof. Yoshimura. These receptors enable innate immune cells to detect single-stranded ribonucleic acid viruses and unmethylated cytosine-phosphate-guanine-deoxyribonucleic acid of pathogens, even those unrelated to the vaccine’s specific antigens. Therefore, vaccination may enhance the innate immune system’s responses alongside its well-established effects on adaptive immunity, constituting a form of trained immunity.
Notably, the benefits of β-glucan supplementation are quite varied, as it enhances the activity of innate immune cells and modulates the balance of cytokines and chemokines in the intestine, supporting a healthier immune environment.
However, further research is needed to fully understand the applicability of vaccines and dietary supplementation in achieving trained immunity. “The determination of markers of trained immunity, such as specific histone modifications and intracellular metabolic events, will support the exploration of more effective vaccines and feed additives in the future,” says Prof. Yoshimura, “Nonetheless, the enhancement of both adaptive and innate immunity will likely provide chickens with better defense mechanisms, leading to healthier and more productive poultry.”
Reference
| Authors | Yukinori Yoshimura1, 2, Takahiro Nii1, and Naoki Isobe11 |
|---|---|
| Affiliations | 1. Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8528, Japan 2. Hiroshima Study Center, The Open University of Japan, Hiroshima 730-0053, Japan |
| Title of original paper | Innate Immune Training in Chickens for Improved Defense against Pathogens: A Review |
| Journal | The Journal of Poultry Science |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.2141/jpsa.2024008 |
Additional information for EurekAlert
| Latest Article Publication Date: | March 13, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Method of Research: | Literature review |
| Subject of Research: | Not applicable |
| Conflicts of Interest Statement: | The authors declare no conflicts of interest. |
About Professor Yukinori Yoshimura from Hiroshima University
Dr. Yukinori Yoshimura joined Hiroshima University in 1983 as a Research Associate, where he has stayed and built a strong career. He was promoted to Professor in 1994, and he currently serves as a Professor emeritus. His research focuses on poultry and animal production science, with a strong focus on immunology and pathology prevention. He has published well over 240 papers on these topics and has received numerous awards, including one from the Japanese Society of Animal Science in 2022.
About Hiroshima University
Established in 1949 through the merger of eight institutions, Hiroshima University is one of Japan’s leading national universities, known for its academic excellence and innovative research. Located in Higashi-Hiroshima and Hiroshima City, it boasts 12 schools and 4 graduate schools, covering a wide array of disciplines, from humanities and social sciences to cutting-edge medicine, applied biology, and engineering. The university is internationally recognized for its contributions to peace studies, reflecting the historical significance of Hiroshima as a symbol of resilience and reconciliation. It also excels in natural sciences and advanced medical research, hosting the Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, a global leader in radiation and cancer studies. With strong global collaborations and programs for international students, Hiroshima University is home to over 15,000 students, including nearly 2,000 from abroad.
Website: https://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en
Media Contact
Kazuhisa Honda
E-mail: honda@tiger.kobe-u.ac.jp
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Expert contact
Yukinori Yoshimura
E-mail: yyosimu@hiroshima-u.ac.jp