ORAL-ADMINISTRATION OF ANTIBODIES AS PROPHYLAXIS AND THERAPY IN CAMPYLOBACTER JEJUNI-INFECTED CHICKENS

Passive immunity against gastrointestinal infections has recently been successfully applied as prophylaxis and therapy in patients in a vari ety of virally and bacterially induced infections. Campylobacter jejun i is frequently associated with acute diarrhoea in humans, and several species of animals have been shown to transmit the disease, although birds have been implicated as the main source of infection. We used bo vine and chicken immunoglobulin preparations from the milk and eggs, r espectively, of immunized animals for prophylactic and therapeutic tre atment of chickens infected with C. jejuni. A marked prophylactic effe ct (a>99% decrease in the number of bacteria) was noted using either a ntibody preparation, whereas the therapeutic efficacy, i.e. when antib odies were given after the infection was established, was distinctly l ower (80-95%) as judged by faecal bacterial counts. These observations may serve as a starting point for experiments aimed at elimination of the infection in an industrial or farm setting. It may also encourage future attempts to treat, prophylactically or therapeutically, patien ts with Campylobacter-induced diarrhoea.