Salmonella in poultry: improving vaccine efficacy . The central aim of this project is to increase the antigenicity of aroA mutant Salmonella Typhimurium vaccines, in particular Bioproperties’ Vaxsafe® ST. Increased antigenicity will affect the gut microbiota and stimulate a stronger host immune response improving vaccine efficacy and the duration of protection against S. Typhimurium in poultry. This will ultimately reduce bacterial loads in the farm environment, mitigate downstream contaminatio ....Salmonella in poultry: improving vaccine efficacy . The central aim of this project is to increase the antigenicity of aroA mutant Salmonella Typhimurium vaccines, in particular Bioproperties’ Vaxsafe® ST. Increased antigenicity will affect the gut microbiota and stimulate a stronger host immune response improving vaccine efficacy and the duration of protection against S. Typhimurium in poultry. This will ultimately reduce bacterial loads in the farm environment, mitigate downstream contamination of the food supply chain, and reduce the number of human salmonellosis cases.Read moreRead less
Effectiveness of Antimicrobial Stewardship in Australian Veterinary Clinics. Antimicrobial resistance threatens Australians' health, Australia's animal health and its reputation for providing safe and reliable food. Overuse of antimicrobials is a driver of antimicrobial resistance. This project aims to address the overuse of antimicrobials in animals by implementing antimicrobial stewardship in veterinary practices and developing methods of antimicrobial use surveillance. It is the first compreh ....Effectiveness of Antimicrobial Stewardship in Australian Veterinary Clinics. Antimicrobial resistance threatens Australians' health, Australia's animal health and its reputation for providing safe and reliable food. Overuse of antimicrobials is a driver of antimicrobial resistance. This project aims to address the overuse of antimicrobials in animals by implementing antimicrobial stewardship in veterinary practices and developing methods of antimicrobial use surveillance. It is the first comprehensive study to address and assess inappropriate use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine- and is expected to improve quality use of antimicrobials by veterinarians and prolong the efficacy of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine. This presents a critical step in reducing community exposure to antimicrobial resistance.Read moreRead less
How to make antibiotics in pig feed redundant, naturally. Antimicrobial resistance has become a major issue in human and veterinary medicine being partially caused by the use of in-feed antimicrobials in farm animals. This project aims to completely eliminate antimicrobials from piglet feeds. The key differential approach is based on helping the physiology of the animal rather than testing interventions against bacteria. The project will consist of developing a novel nutritional strategy of natu ....How to make antibiotics in pig feed redundant, naturally. Antimicrobial resistance has become a major issue in human and veterinary medicine being partially caused by the use of in-feed antimicrobials in farm animals. This project aims to completely eliminate antimicrobials from piglet feeds. The key differential approach is based on helping the physiology of the animal rather than testing interventions against bacteria. The project will consist of developing a novel nutritional strategy of naturally (through maternal conditioning) boosting the natural appetite and the capacity to digest in piglets early in life. The anticipated outcome is that the new peri-natal program will result in minimal bacterial proliferation and diarrhoea thus, negating the need for in-feed antimicrobials in piglets. Read moreRead less
A “Goldilocks” live attenuated poultry vaccine for Infectious Coryza. This project aims to develop a safe and effective vaccine for Infectious Coryza using a live-attenuated vaccine approach. Infectious coryza is an acute respiratory disease of chickens and is caused by the bacterial pathogen, Avibacterium paragallinarum. Infectious Coryza can be controlled by appropriate biosecurity practises and this has been successful in the Australian context to date. However, in the USA, Europe and other e ....A “Goldilocks” live attenuated poultry vaccine for Infectious Coryza. This project aims to develop a safe and effective vaccine for Infectious Coryza using a live-attenuated vaccine approach. Infectious coryza is an acute respiratory disease of chickens and is caused by the bacterial pathogen, Avibacterium paragallinarum. Infectious Coryza can be controlled by appropriate biosecurity practises and this has been successful in the Australian context to date. However, in the USA, Europe and other equatorial regions, infectious Coryza remains an unsolved problem. The expected outcome of this project is a cross-serovar protective vaccine to prevent infectious coryza for use in endemic countries and to act as a biosecurity measure to protect Australia's poultry industry against an incursion of this disease.Read moreRead less
Molecular basis of attenuation in live Mycoplasma vaccines. This proposal aims to use an innovative approach to address an urgent issue raised by the end users of an Australian-owned poultry vaccine with an extensive global market. Recently multiple mutations have been detected in the vaccine re-isolated from vaccinated birds in the field around the world. We will apply a combination of a novel technique for targeted mutagenesis, genome sequencing, and animal experimentations, to address the sig ....Molecular basis of attenuation in live Mycoplasma vaccines. This proposal aims to use an innovative approach to address an urgent issue raised by the end users of an Australian-owned poultry vaccine with an extensive global market. Recently multiple mutations have been detected in the vaccine re-isolated from vaccinated birds in the field around the world. We will apply a combination of a novel technique for targeted mutagenesis, genome sequencing, and animal experimentations, to address the significance of these mutations. Results will improve our understanding of the basis of attenuation of the vaccine, its mechanism of action, and provide commercial confidence in the safety of the vaccine, which is needed to support Australian Universities and Businesses, and the global poultry industry.Read moreRead less
Reducing the health & economic burden of Campylobacter using a live vaccine. The aim of the project is to develop a vaccine to reduce Campylobacter bacteria in chickens. Campylobacters cause disease in both poultry and humans. Poultry products are the most common source of human infections. By reducing Campylobacter in poultry, the transfer to humans will be reduced. The expected outcomes arising from this work will be a reduction of the economic burden of poultry losses, in an Australian indust ....Reducing the health & economic burden of Campylobacter using a live vaccine. The aim of the project is to develop a vaccine to reduce Campylobacter bacteria in chickens. Campylobacters cause disease in both poultry and humans. Poultry products are the most common source of human infections. By reducing Campylobacter in poultry, the transfer to humans will be reduced. The expected outcomes arising from this work will be a reduction of the economic burden of poultry losses, in an Australian industry valued at $2.8 billion/year, and an improvement in food safety, thus helping to reduce the burden of foodborne illness, estimated to be $1.2 billion dollars/year. This project is, therefore, poised to benefit the Australian economy, specifically primary producers and the general public, by targeted vaccination of poultry.Read moreRead less