Bacteriophages are possible alternative to antibiotics.USDA-ARS USDA-ARS United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service scientists have found encouraging results in attempting to reduce foodborne pathogens and treat various poultry diseases. Early success in the laboratory with bacteriophages could open the door to another way of preventing and treating animal disease. E. coli E. coli: see Escherichia coli. E. coli in full Escherichia coli Species of bacterium that inhabits the stomach and intestines. E. coli can be transmitted by water, milk, food, or flies and other insects. bacteria cause respiratory disease in poultry, leading to death or condemnation of the carcasses during processing. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria and kill them. A particular phage phage: see bacteriophage. phage - A program that modifies other programs or databases in unauthorised ways; especially one that propagates a virus or Trojan horse. See also worm, mockingbird. The analogy, of course, is with phage viruses in biology. can usually infect only one or a few related species of bacteria. Scientists at the ARS Poultry Production and Product Safety Research Unit (Room O-303, Poultry Science Center, University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas strives to be known as a "nationally competitive, student-centered research university serving Arkansas and the world." The school recently completed its "Campaign for the 21st Century," in which the university raised more than $1 billion for the school, used , Fayetteville, AR 72701) have isolated a number of bacteriophages that would target a particular strain of E. coli that causes disease in poultry. They used E. coli serotype serotype /se·ro·type/ (ser´o-tip) the type of a microorganism determined by its constituent antigens; a taxonomic subdivision based thereon. se·ro·type n. See serovar. v. 02 to cause an air sac infection, called air saculitis, in broiler broiler a young (about 8 weeks old) male or female chicken weighing 3 to 3.5 lb. chickens. When they mixed a bacteriophage with the E. coli strain prior to challenging broiler chickens with the bacteria, the scientists were able to completely protect the animals from respiratory infection. Researchers chose air saculitis because it is very difficult to treat. There may be other bacteriophage strains that are better suited to attack the bacteria they used in their experiments. Bacteriophages were first discovered in 1915, but research on their therapeutic use was largely abandoned outside of Eastern Europe when antibiotic drugs became widely available in the 1940s. The ARS researchers recently began their next step to investigate the effectiveness of the phages to not only prevent but to treat infections in poultry. This research offers the possibility that bacteriophages could be developed as an alternative to antibiotic use in poultry production. Scientists are also investigating the efficacy of bacteriophages against other foodborne pathogens, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter Campylobacter Genus of gram-negative spiral-shaped bacteria infecting mammals. Many species, especially C. fetus, cause miscarriage in sheep and cattle. C. jejuni is a common cause of food poisoning. Sources include meats (particularly chicken) and unpasteurized milk. . Investigators have isolated bacteriophages to Salmonella in cooperation with colleagues at the University of Arkansas. Further information. William Huff; phone: 501-575-2104; fax: 501-575-4202; email: huff@uark.edu. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion