Meristem: Beef Science

Canadian researchers are one step closer to launching a new type of animal treatment with breakthrough potential to benefit Canada's beef industry and beef consumers.

New "bacteriophage" treatments have unique advantages to protect cattle against major bacterial infections and provide an alternative to antibiotics, says Dr. Roger Johnson of the Public Health Agency of Canada. Several phages, including ones targeted at E. coli O157:H7 are performing well in advanced testing and could result in products on the market within three-to-five years.

Other phages targeting Salmonella Typhimurium DT 104 also have potential. Early research with these phages was supported by the Canada Alberta Beef Industry Development Fund (CABIDF).

"The E. coli O157:H7 phages we're testing are producing very promising results," says Johnson. "Safety and efficacy results look very satisfactory, and we're working toward optimal formulations and delivery systems. We're optimistic this work will result in valuable animal treatment options that will be practical and cost-effective for beef producers, and provide great food safety and perhaps animal health advantages for Canada's beef industry."

Johnson discusses bacteriophage progress and potential in a new "Perspective on Beef Science" article on the Meristem Land and Science Web site, www.meristem.com. Land and Science is a service featuring information on the sustainability of agriculture, food production and the environment. It is presented by Meristem Information Resources Ltd., in co-operation with partners in agriculture, food, environment and life sciences.

Scientists have known about phages for 90 years, says Johnson. But as therapeutic agents, they have been largely placed on the back burner in the western world ever since the discovery of antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infections. Rising concerns related to over-reliance on antibiotics and emergence of bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics have sparked renewed interest internationally in developing phages as an alternative treatment.

"We have seen the emergence of new foodborne pathogens, such as E. coli O157:H7, that are difficult to control," says Johnson. "We have also encountered microorganisms that have rapidly developed resistance to many antibiotics, Salmonella Typhimurium DT 104 being a prime example. As a result, there is strong interested in exploring avenues that could replace antibiotics under these circumstances."

Johnson and colleagues initially identified the potentially valuable phages for treating cattle for E. coli O157:H7 and for Salmonella Typhimurium DT 104, in a CABIDF-supported project a few years back. Since then, Johnson and colleagues, including Dr Tim McAllister and Dr Susan Bach of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, have been addressing a number of questions that need to be answered before these phages can be used in a commercial operation.

"We are seeing good progress with the E. coli O157:H7 phages, particularly in ensuring their safety and efficacy, and looking at ways of producing them for safe use in cattle," says Johnson. "We're optimistic a related product or products will become available to cattle producers within the next several years."

One focus has been developing the best formulations and delivery systems that would be simple and effective, he says. "The keys here are to ensure the dosage that reaches the intestinal tract of cattle is effective, that the viability of the phages is preserved and that we can provide the phages in a form that is easy for cattle producers to administer."

Meristem "Perspective" articles and reports are an ongoing series designed to bring to light various important perspectives on issues critical to sustainable agricultural, food and environmental systems. Development of the bacteriophage article was supported by the Canada Alberta Beef Industry Development Fund (CABIDF).

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"Bacteriophage" antibiotic alternative to benefit beef industry