Novel C.perfringens therapy as an alternative to antibiotics

Due to concerns regarding antibiotic resistance and consumer preference for meat which is antibiotic-free, use antibiotic growth promoters (which previously suppressed certain bacterial diseases) in livestock are no longer permitted. This has resulted in an increase in rates of diseases such as necrotic enteritis (NE) in poultry and enteritis in swine caused by Clostridium perfringens (C.perf). NE is one of the most economically important disease in poultry production, with losses and treatment costs in excess of c$6bill each year globally (c£300mill in the UK). Meat contaminated with C.perf is also the third most common cause of food poisoning in humans. NE occurs in poultry when the gut flora is disturbed (e.g. by a change in diet or coccidiosis infections) leading to an overgrowth of C.perf. NE can exist as an acute disease with high mortality (1% daily) and as a sub-acute disease -both detrimental to production performance and animal welfare. The therapy under investigation in this feasibility project seeks to provide a non-antibiotic alternative to maintaining the health and welfare of livestock in the face of the increased and severe challenges presented to livestock by NE and other bacterial diseases.