Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
The case for plant-made veterinary immunotherapeutics.
- Journal:
- Biotechnology advances
- Year:
- 2016
- Authors:
- Topp, Edward et al.
- Affiliation:
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada · United Kingdom
Plain-English summary
The overuse of antibiotics in raising farm animals has led to bacteria becoming resistant, which has caused new rules and consumer pressure to reduce antibiotic use. This situation calls for new ways to prevent diseases that are both affordable and suitable for large-scale farming. While vaccines are helpful, they only exist for a small number of animal diseases, so there is a need for new vaccines and treatments. Researchers are exploring the idea of using plants to produce these vaccines and antibodies, which could be effective, safe, and easy to give to animals without much processing. The report suggests that using plants for this purpose could be a promising solution to protect farm animals from diseases that are currently treated with antibiotics.
Abstract
The excessive use of antibiotics in food animal production has contributed to resistance in pathogenic bacteria, thereby triggering regulations and consumer demands to limit their use. Alternatives for disease control are therefore required that are cost-effective and compatible with intensive production. While vaccines are widely used and effective, they are available against a minority of animal diseases, and development of novel vaccines and other immunotherapeutics is therefore needed. Production of such proteins recombinantly in plants can provide products that are effective and safe, can be orally administered with minimal processing, and are easily scalable with a relatively low capital investment. The present report thus advocates the use of plants for producing vaccines and antibodies to protect farm animals from diseases that have thus far been managed with antibiotics; and highlights recent advances in product efficacy, competitiveness, and regulatory approval.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26875776/