Routine use of antibiotics at subtherapeutic levels in the livestock industry has been criticized for triggering antimicrobial resistance. FDA has recommended the withdrawal of medically important antibiotics for production practices in the U.S. as of January 2017. Although various alternatives to antibiotics are currently on the market, none is able to match the efficacy of antibiotics. We recently discovered several combinations of natural compounds with a strong capacity to enhance animal intestinal immunity by synergistically inducing the synthesis of a large array of host defense peptides (HDPs) that possess potent antimicrobial and immune regulatory activities. Coupled with their barrier-protective and anti-inflammatory properties, these compounds are promising candidates for further development as next-generation antibiotic alternatives. The goal of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of developing these immune boosting compounds as novel antibiotic alternatives for disease control and prevention. We proposed first to select among several combinations of natural compounds and identify the combinations with the highest efficiency in synergistic induction of HDP synthesis without triggering inflammation. We will further compare selected natural compounds with a commonly used in-feed antibiotic for their efficacy in growth promotion and disease prevention in chickens. Successful completion of the project will lead to identification of a brand-new, first-of-a-kind class of antibiotic alternatives for use in poultry and likely other livestock species as well. Because they act on the hosts but not the pathogens, these natural compounds are not expected to exert selective pressure or provoking microbial resistance. The outcome will pave the way for the development of an urgently needed, hugely promising, and paradigm-shifting technology that meets the FDA mandates as well as public demands for safe, healthy, and environmentally responsible animal products.
