Abstract:
Abstract
Poultry is the second largest industry of Pakistan, with a 3.1% contribution to the Gross
Domestic Product. Colibacillosis is a widespread poultry disease caused by the Avian
Pathogenic Escherichia coli bacteria (APEC). Emerging antimicrobial resistance against
Colibacillosis and the ban on the antibiotic Enrofloxacin, presents the need to develop
alternative treatment strategies. The study aimed to investigate the preventative and therapeutic
potential of bacteriophages against Colibacillosis. One hundred poultry birds, divided into
fifteen groups, were infected with APEC, and treated with Enrofloxacin, bacteriophage
cocktail, and a combination of antibiotics and phage cocktail. The treatment doses were
administered via subcutaneous, nasal, and intramuscular routes. Survivability, lesion scoring
of the organs, and weight gain trends were used to determine the efficiency of the bacteriophage
cocktail. Test subjects of the positive control showed a drastic weight loss trend as compared
to healthy birds of the negative control. Test birds given the phage cocktail as a prophylactic,
and those given it in combination with antibiotics both showed a survival rate of 100% as
compared to 17% of the positive control. Intramuscular injection of the cocktail proved to be
the most effective mode of administration with a 67% survival rate. Phage therapy, as cocktails
used for prophylaxis, and in combination with antibiotics, can prove to be an invaluable tool in
the ongoing fight against anti-microbial resistance (AMR).
