SBIR Phase II:Polyvalent Bacteriophages as Livestock Feed Additives and Alternatives to Antibiotics for Pathogen Control and Improved Animal Performance

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The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will be to mitigate the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. In the United States, antibiotic resistance is estimated to cause over 2 million illnesses, 23,000 deaths, and cost $55 billion annually. Worldwide, it causes 700,000 deaths annually, and reduces global gross domestic product by approximately 1.5% through its impact on income, productivity, investment and healthcare costs. The animal sector accounts for up to 80% of antibiotic consumption in some countries. However, antibiotic feed additives are widely used in the cattle industry because they provide significant economic and animal welfare benefits by reducing the incidence and severity of liver abscesses. As the industry already operates on narrow profit margins, withdrawing antibiotic feed additives may be financially catastrophic for many producers, and could lead to supply chain disruption. This project provides a solution to the beef cattle industry through development of a cost-effective alternative to antibiotic feed additives.The proposed project aims to develop a bacteriophage-based feed additive to inhibit the growth of the primary etiologic agent of bovine liver abscesses, Fusobacterium necrophorum, and reduce or eliminate the need for antibiotic feed additives in feedlot cattle. The first project objective is to convert a library of temperate bacteriophages to obligately lytic mutants to enhance their suitability for long-term inhibition of Fusobacterium necrophorum in cattle rumen. The second objective is to optimize and scale up production of these bacteriophages and develop a product formulation that can be readily integrated into cattle rations. The final objective is to conduct feeding trials to optimize dosing requirements and obtain in vivo proof of efficacy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.