Compositions including probiotic bacteria for the expression and secretion of enterocins to control clostridia perfringens-induced necrotic enteritis in livestock and related methods

Abstract

This invention relates, at least in part, to engineered antimicrobial probiotics for the prevention or treatment of Clostridia perfringens-induced necrotic enteritis in animals and related methods. In an embodiment, a composition for treatment of chickens is included. The composition can include a bacterium originally isolated from the small intestinal tract of healthy chickens and can be genetically engineered with two exogenous polynucleotides. A first exogenous polynucleotide can include a heterologous promoter and a polynucleotide that encodes an antimicrobial protein. A second exogenous polynucleotide can include a heterologous promoter and a polynucleotide that encodes proteins that function to secrete the antimicrobial protein to the extracellular environment. In an embodiment, the antimicrobial peptide can be effective in killing C. perf. inside the gastrointestinal tract of chickens.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.