Small proteins that bacteria use like missiles to fight off competing bacteria could one day partly replace antibiotics in the treatment of animal diseases.
The animal health division of the Commonwealth
Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Australia has started two research projects on the proteins, called bacteriocins, with the aim of identifying some that will kill bacteria that cause common diseases in chickens and pigs.
Adrian Hodgson, animal health vaccines and immunotherapeutics program manager, said research already exists into using bacteriocins to create safe food packaging and assist in food preservation.
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“This is the first time that the use of bacteriocins to fight disease will be researched,” he said.
“If we are successful, we will have an alternative to antibiotics for at least some animal diseases.”
Hodgson said the major advantage of using bacteriocins in this way is that it will reduce the risk of human pathogens becoming resistant to antibiotics. The problem of antibiotic residues in meat will also be avoided because animals quickly break down bacteriocins.
“Our strategy will be to first identify known bacteriocins that are useful in fighting off bacterial diseases of pigs and chickens,” he said.
“We will then investigate how these could be delivered to treat or even prevent these diseases.”
Another aim of the research projects will be to consider how to reduce the risk of bacteria developing resistance against bacteriocins.
