An antibiotic-free treatment for post-weaning diarrhea in pigs targeting proteases in the inflamed gut

Project Details

Status: Completed
Investment: $323,500
Commodity: Pork
Organization: University of Calgary
Investigator: Eduardo Cobo

Weaning challenges the pork industry because piglets experience diarrhea, sudden death, or impaired growth.

Why is this research important for Alberta ag?

Weaning challenges the pork industry because piglets experience diarrhea, sudden death, or impaired growth. Numerous stressors and infectious cause post-weaning diarrhea. These factors result in the "leaky gut syndrome" in which invasion of intestinal bacteria/toxins and infiltration of leukocytes (white cells) trigger both sepsis and the release of inflammatory factors, including proteases.

Current treatments with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories and antibiotics are partially effective, and the use of antibiotics is questionable due to the generation of acquired antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. To address the need for antibiotics-free therapeutics, researchers aim to identify the relevant proteases in the gut of piglets with post-weaning infections and non-infectious diarrhea and examine the clinical efficiency of non-antimicrobial protease inhibitors that will neutralize the enzyme actions,

What benefits can producers expect from this research?

Targeting the enzymes with selective inhibitors is expected to bring a tangible alternative to antibiotics as treatments for diarrhea in pigs. As well as have positive impacts on sustaining the pork industry and swine welfare, using antibiotic-free treatments, added benefit-growth promotion, assessing the advancements of pigs with a healthy microbiome, and supports a One Health vision.

How will these research findings reach producers on-farm?

Findings will be shared through industry collaborations and pharmaceutical companies and will be shared through trade journals and producer magazines. Results will also be disseminated through peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Funded in part by the Government of Canada under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.