Title: Bioavailability in the gut (for anti- coccidian activity) and in the blood (for tissue toxicity) of orally administered antimicrobial peptides from Xenorhabdus budapestensis

Biography:

Qualifications are:Diploma in Genetics: biologist & Teacher Certification for High School, 234/1964; PhD from the Committee for Doctoral Awards of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, October 7, 1974, Budapest, Hungary; PhD Candidate of Biological Sciences; (No. 6.162), Biological Doctoral Degree: D-1674/1974, Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest, Hungary, (December 3, 1974) ; Habilitation Committee of the Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest, Hungary, (December 13, 2000 ); Szechenyi Professorship Award (March 19, 1999) from the Hungarian Ministry of Education; D. Sc: Submitted to Committee for Doctoral Awards of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary (2003) ; Fulbright Research Fellow: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI USA 2015. Andras Fodor has a total Research experience of 48 years, has been actively publishing for 39 years; and a teaching experience (Genetics, Microbial genetics, Biology for undergraduates, master graduate and PhD graduate students) of 34 years

Abstract

Coccidiosis is the result of the cooperation of a prokaryotic (Clostridium perfringens) and of a eukaryotic (Eimeria tenella) pathogen. Objective: in vivo tests on the efficacy of the bio-preparation Xenofood, (active on both pathogens in vitro), on C. perfringens colony forming units (CFU). Methods: Xenofood is a mixture of an autoclaved, mid-stationary phase culture of Xenorhabdus budapestensis and X. szentirmaii grown in conventional “starter” and “grower” chicken food. The thermo-stability, and the trypsin and pepsin resistance of the antimicrobials were determined.  1-day old (Ross) broiler cockerels were kept on a Xenofood diet for 42 days. Body weights were measured daily, and growth and food conversion rates were monitored for 24-d. Results: Antimicrobial compounds were heat-stable, and trypsin and pepsin resistant. No chickens died. No significant differences either in growth, or in food conversion rates between the control and Xenofood-fed groups were detected.  The larger bursa, and smaller spleen weights indirectly indicated an elevated humoral immune activity. The number of CFU in Xenofood-fed birds significantly decreased. Conclusions: The arguments for and against Xenofood as an anticoccidial tool should be taken into considerations. The cell-free cultures of X. budapestensis and X. szentirmaii exerted strong antimicrobial effects on C. perfringens, and an anticoccidial effect on E. tenella in previous in vitro tests, but also exerted cytotoxic effects on permanent chicken liver (LMH) cells in vitro. Xenofood proved gastrointestinal active without any adverse effects, suggesting that oral application was efficient to reduce C. perfringens CFU without any detectable sign of biohazard.