| Researchers
at USDA's Agricultural Research Service found that natural
proteins called bacteriocins can reduce Campylobacter
contamination of chicken, an ARS report announced.
The USDA researchers, led by Dr. Bruce Seal, collaborated
with scientists from the former Soviet Union.
In
the chicken's digestive tract, bacteriocins out-compete
pathogenic bacteria, such as Campylobacter , making
the pathogens less likely to infect poultry or humans.
The
research was begun by ARS microbiologist Dr. Norman Stern
in Athens, Georgia. Stern was awarded a patent on uses for
bacteriocins. He and colleagues Greg Siragusa and Eric Line
have applied for a patent on the protein.
The
work was completed in collaboration with Edward Svetoch,
a Russian Federation scientist at the State Research Center
for Applied Microbiology in Obolensk. Svetoch and Stern
evaluated tens of thousands of bacterial isolates from poultry
production environments. Stern and his colleagues have found
promise in numerous organisms for anti- Campylobacter
activity, namely Bacillus circulans and
Paenibacillus polymyxa .
In
addition, Stern and his colleagues successfully enhanced
the production of bacteriocins, making it much more attractive
for industrial testing, USDA said. According to Stern, there
has been substantial industry interest in licensing the
technology. Bacteriocins could become an alternative to
antibiotics for protecting poultry.
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