𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗔𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗢𝗟® 𝗯𝘆 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀

During September 7th - 9th our R&D Team participated in the 2nd Bacteriophage Symposium, which took place in Gdańsk, Poland. Our colleague Agnieszka Ciesielska presented the results of one of the recently conducted studies: Assessment of Tolerance of the Bacteriophage Preparation BAFACOL® by Broilers.

Introduction: Poultry meat production has been the fastest-growing segment of the global meat market for years. One of the primary causes of economic losses in poultry production is infectious diseases. One of the most contagious diseases in poultry is colibacillosis, caused by pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli bacteria known as APEC (Avian Pathogenic E. coli). Currently, the treatment of colibacillosis relies on antibiotic therapy; however, with the increasing prevalence of multi-drug-resistant APEC isolates, this treatment often proves ineffective. Proteon Pharmaceuticals has developed an innovative bacteriophage preparation called BAFACOL®, designed to protect poultry from APEC strains. BAFACOL® includes 5 virulent bacteriophage strains with synergistic action, demonstrating high lytic activity against APEC strains. The bacteriophages in the BAFACOL® preparation remain active for at least 3.5 years at a temperature of 5±3°C, indicating the high stability of the product.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the tolerance of broilers to the BAFACOL® preparation. The study group consisted of 720 one-day-old broiler chickens, randomly divided into four equal smaller groups (T1-T4). Broilers in the control group (T1) did not receive the phage preparation, while birds in the test groups (T2, T3, and T4) were administered BAFACOL® in their drinking water for 36 days at doses of 1x10^6 PFU/bird/day (standard dose), 10x, and 100x the standard dose, respectively. During the experiment, mortality, feed and water consumption, bird body weight, and daily health assessment were monitored. At the end of the experiment, biochemical and hematological parameters of randomly selected broilers from each group were also assessed.

Methodology: The methodology involved administering BAFACOL® to broilers in different doses, monitoring their health and performance, and conducting biochemical and hematological assessments.

Results: The results of mortality and production performance obtained for groups T2, T3, and T4 did not statistically differ from those obtained for birds in the control group (T1). Hematological and biochemical test results for birds in groups T2-T4 fell within the normal range according to applicable standards and did not deviate from the parameters of the birds in the control group. In summary, based on the experiment results, broilers were shown to tolerate the BAFACOL® preparation at all tested doses (1x, 10x, and 100x the standard dose).

Conclusion: The study concludes that broilers exhibited tolerance to the BAFACOL® preparation at various dosage levels, indicating its potential as a safe and effective tool for protecting poultry from APEC strains.

Authors: Agnieszka T Ciesielska, Zofia Śmigielska , Maciej Piórkowski , Anna Pękala , Ewelina Wójcik , Agnieszka Maszewska, Małgorzata Stańczyk , Jaroslaw Dastych

Proteon Pharmaceuticals is a leader in bacteriophage (phage) technology for livestock farming and aquaculture. Our mission is to eliminate the need for unnecessary antibiotic use, reducing the risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), as well as to increase the sustainability of protein production through the reduction of waste and improvement of on-farm efficiency. Our products function by modulating the microbiome enabling prophylactic health. We have created a precision phage product development platform using -omics technologies, molecular biology, bioinformatics, and artificial intelligence (AI) to create effective, reliable, and safe antibacterial solutions for animal and human health.