A non-antibiotic alternative to controlling Salmonella infection

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Salmonella infections represent a significant public health concern and disease burden. Significant sources of infection are typically contaminated meat and poultry, eggs, and fresh produce. As such, the control of Salmonella infections in poultry products is one means to reduce human infections. While advances have been made in reducing the frequency of Salmonella contamination in processed poultry, there is mounting pressure on commercial growers to prevent and/or eliminate these pathogens in pre-harvest production facilities. NovoBind Livestock Therapeutics Inc. proposes to develop a novel antibody-based therapeutic strategy that could be provided to commercial growers to prevent and/or eliminate Salmonella pathogens in pre-harvest poultry production facilities. Currently, novel Salmonella-specific antibodies have been generated and are being tested for their efficacy using in vitro cell culture methods. This work capitalizes on the imaging expertise and analytical resources of the University of British Columbia Bioimaging Facility, coupled with their level 2 microbiology capabilities, and complements the expertise of the larger research team, including the antibody development platform offered by Novobind Livestock Therapeutics Inc. This project proposes to: (1) Use advanced light microscopy techniques to analyze and identify, the molecular mechanism of action of NovoBind's neutralizing antibodies against infectious Salmonella. (2) Compare the impact on motility and cellular adherence of antibody-delivered therapeutics versus traditional antibiotic-based therapies currently in use to control Salmonella infection. The development of a Salmonella-selective and highly effective antibody would benefit Canadian and World populations by reducing human infection and illness, loss of life and costs of treatment. The revenue generated by NovoBind in delivering this product would also be an economic boost to Canada.