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Description
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the major medical problems that needs urgent actions. The importance of this problem is reflected in the global initiative One Health launched by WHO. OneHealth initiative is based on the idea that the problem of spreading antimicrobial resistance can be solved only by global simultaneous actions towards “healthy people, healthy environments and healthy animals”. Only such orchestrated and multidirectional actions might save us from going back to time before penicillin was discovered. The aim of this project is to develop a new strategy to prevent and treat bacterial infections with natural, safe and efficient antimicrobials. This innovative strategy will be based on bacteriolytic enzymes and bacteriocins - biodegradable compounds of defined specificity and high efficiency. We have chosen mastitis as the first disease to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach which, if proved effective, can be implemented in prevention and treatment of other bacterial diseases in animals, but also in humans. The proposed non-antibiotic protection of livestock from bacterial infections will not only improve welfare of animals and minimize losses in production, but at the same time will lead to reduction of antibiotic usage and by that development of resistance among pathogenic bacteria. We want to reach our goals by isolating and characterizing new bacteriocins and bacteriolytic enzymes against the most common mastitis bacteria. Formulations based on the new antimicrobials will be tested first in vitro and then in animal models and field trials. In the end of the project we will scale up the production of the compounds and prepared commercialization strategy.
Summary of project results
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most pressing medical challenges that requires urgent action. This global issue is addressed by the World Health Organization''s initiative called "One Health." The name reflects the comprehensive approach needed: antimicrobial resistance can only be tackled through global and simultaneous actions towards "healthy people, healthy environments, and healthy animals." Only such coordinated and multidirectional efforts can prevent us from regressing to a pre-penicillin era.
The PrevEco project developed a new strategy to prevent and treat bacterial infections using natural, safe, and efficient antimicrobials. This innovative strategy relies on bacteriolytic enzymes and bacteriocins—biodegradable compounds with defined specificity and high efficiency. Special attention was given to selecting antimicrobial components with a low prevalence of resistance development. Mastitis, an infection of the mammary gland in dairy cows, was chosen as the initial disease to demonstrate the efficacy of this approach. If proven effective, this method can be applied to prevent and treat other bacterial diseases in animals and humans. The proposed non-antibiotic protection for livestock not only improves animal welfare and reduces production losses but also decreases antibiotic usage, thereby limiting the development of resistance among pathogenic bacteria.
Project achieved goals by isolating and characterizing new bacteriocins and bacteriolytic enzymes targeting the most common mastitis-causing bacteria. The relevance of the PrevEco project is underscored by its potential to provide a sustainable and effective solution to antimicrobial resistance. This contribution is significant for global health, ensuring the well-being of both animals and humans while preserving the efficacy of existing antibiotics.
Summary of bilateral results
The consortium partners were chosen for their complementary expertise and shared research interests. Even during the application stage, we benefited immensely from exchanging ideas and designing a research plan that leverages each team''s strengths to address scientific challenges.The collaboration between MMRI and our Norwegian partners has been exceptionally open and effective. We exchanged newly discovered antimicrobials (bacteriocins and bacteriolytic enzymes) for combination testing, with NMBU developing infected wound and mastitis models to evaluate the effectiveness of these bacteriolytic enzymes. Sharing expertise in the evaluation of enzybiotics and combined treatments on biofilms was particularly valuable, as this method is crucial but challenging to reproduce. Additionally, NMBU performed microbiome analysis to understand the effects of enzybiotic treatment, expanding this analysis to samples from field experiments. This provided a unique opportunity to assess the impact on the mammary gland microbiome.The support from NMBU’s technology transfer office was particularly significant. This expertise is crucial for R&D projects and is still scarce in Poland. Our industrial partner, Tine SA, contributed precise data on the epidemiology of mastitis in dairy cows in Norway, assisted in designing and analyzing field trials, and provided valuable insights into the agricultural, veterinary, and industrial aspects of mastitis prevention and treatment.In conclusion, our collaboration with Norwegian partners has been very pleasant and fruitful. We plan to continue our joint activities and have already applied for funding through two programs to support these efforts.