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Federal funding injection to help VIDO develop livestock antibiotic alternativesDate posted: October 18, 2006The University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) has received new federal funding to develop alternatives to livestock antibiotics over the next three years. The $1.75 million in new funding is provided under the Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) Program. It will allow VIDO to undertake a project that will focus on poultry and swine, but could eventually include cattle entering feedlots to prevent bacterial infection and to increase the protective power of vaccines. "Infectious diseases continue to be a major cause of economic loss to Canada's livestock industry and a significant cause of animal suffering," says Dr. Lorne Babiuk, VIDO Director. "No new classes of antibiotics have been developed in the last 20 years. Developing substitutes for antibiotics is even more important now as antibiotic disease resistance increases on a global scale." The VIDO project will test the use of naturally occurring peptides to provide early protection for animals. It aims to identify peptides that may stimulate innate immunity and directly kill bacteria, as well as increase the magnitude of the immune response following vaccination. VIDO is a world leader in the research and development of vaccine and immunotherapeutic technologies for livestock and humans. An Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) news release on the funding announcement, along with more information on VIDO, is available on the VIDO Web site, at www.vido.org. Reprintable with permission. Reproduction of this article - in whole or in part, in print or electronic - requires direct permission from Meristem Information Resources, Ltd. Contact Meristem directly to request reprint permission. |
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