Differential effects of orally administered Lactobacillus acidophilus L-55 on the gene expression of cytokines and master immune switches in the ileum and spleen of laying hen with an attenuated Newcastle disease virus vaccine

This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of oral administration of Lactobacillus acidophilus strain L-55 (LaL-55) to chickens inoculated with a Newcastle disease virus (NDV)-based live-attenuated vaccine by examining the mRNA expression of several genes related to viral infection in the spleen and ileum by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. In the spleen, interferon (IFN)-α was significantly higher in the low- and middle-dose LaL-55 groups at 6 weeks than at 4 weeks. IFN regulatory factor (IRF)-3 and IRF-7 expression was significantly higher in the low-dose LaL-55 group than in the middle- and high-dose LaL-55 groups. In the ileum, melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 showed a dose-dependent increase at 4 weeks. IFN-γ and IRF-7 showed dose-dependent increases at 6 weeks. These results suggested that LaL-55 boosts the immune response to the NDV vaccine, albeit by different mechanisms in the spleen and ileum.