resistance a worry, page-8

csiro to enter history books The European Union on Monday proposed phasing out the four remaining antibiotics used regularly as growth promoters in animal feed by 2006 as part of new controls over additives in livestock fodder.


An Australian research and development company, Imugene Limited, has acquired exclusive worldwide licenses from CSIRO to a suite of platform vaccine and therapeutic technologies for use in animals.

The biologically-based treatments include alternatives to the use of antibiotics as feed additives and disease treatments or preventatives, for the pig and poultry industries.

Products under development include adenoviral vectors that have proven efficacy in the delivery of important proteins to the host animal. These proteins stimulate immune responses to a variety of economically important diseases occurring within the pig and poultry industries as well as increasing productivity.

For the past 18 months, Imugene has contracted CSIRO to continue research and development on the range of patented processes, products and projects that now form the 'Imugene' core licensed treatments.

Imugene will continue to fund and manage the ongoing research, development and commercialisation of the products now formally under licence from CSIRO.

CSIRO Livestock Industries Commercial Manager, Dr Jack Malecki, says the CSIRO is committed to commercialising its research so that useful solutions, products or services can be delivered.

"The agreement with Imugene is consistent with this aim," he says. "Income generated for CSIRO under the agreement will be reinvested in further research to benefit Australia's livestock industries. It is also pleasing that the transaction with Imugene maintains the ongoing research, development and commercialisation within Australia."

The use of antibiotics as growth promotants in food-producing animals has received increasing international attention as a major contributory factor to antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

The World Health Organisation and several nations, including Australia, have identified the need to phase out the use of antibiotics as feed additives in food producing animals.

The Joint Expert Committee on Antibiotic Residues (JETACAR), established by the Australian Government, supports this view and in 1999 recommended that cost effective non-antibiotic methods be developed by industries, including the chicken and pig industries, to increase productivity and prevent disease.



.