Presence of production strain’s DNA in BAFASAL® preparation - one aspect of phage commercial product analyses

During July 18th - 22nd our Research & Development team participated in the 6th Viruses of Microbes conference, which took place in Guimarães, Portugal. Our colleague Partycja Sowińska presented the results of one of the recently conducted studies on the Presence of production strain’s DNA in BAFASAL® preparation - one aspect of phage commercial product analyses.

Phage therapy has become a promising way of combating bacterial diseases. However, there is a number of issues that need to be explored in order to develop a good phage product. One of the most important is the selection of a bacterial host for the production of bacteriophages, which requires knowledge of its genome.

In order to register our phage-based BAFASAL® preparation as a feed additive, a lot of tests had to be carried out according to the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) guidelines. One of them was the study on the presence of DNA from the production strain in BAFASAL® preparation.

None of the analyzed DNA fragments specific for the production strain were detected in any of three batches of BAFASAL®, like genes characteristic for Salmonella Gallinarum, prophage and antibiotic resistant genes.

Proteon Pharmaceuticals is a leader in bacteriophage (phage) technology for livestock farming and aquaculture. Our mission is to eliminate the need for unnecessary antibiotic use, reducing the risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), as well as to increase the sustainability of protein production through the reduction of waste and improvement of on-farm efficiency. Our products function by modulating the microbiome enabling prophylactic health. We have created a precision phage product development platform using -omics technologies, molecular biology, bioinformatics, and artificial intelligence (AI) to create effective, reliable, and safe antibacterial solutions for animal and human health.