Source: MEATINGPLACE, 5/10/16


A vaccine to protect poultry from infectious bronchitis virus is among the projects USDA will fund in a recently announced round of grants totaling $5.2 million supporting research into the use of nanotechnology to improve food safety.

Current vaccines do not provide sufficient control against emerging infections, while most antibiotics are not used in food animals to curb the problem of spreading drug-resistant pathogens. In addition, anti-viral agents are expensive to use on poultry, the University of Wisconsin researchers said in their grant proposal.

The scientists will develop polyanhydride nanoparticle-based vaccines, also known as nanovaccines, as a platform technology for more efficient poultry vaccination.

The team will first test the technology in a model system with infectious bronchitis virus, which can cause severe economic losses to the poultry industry.

Other nanotechnology projects funded by the USDA include research at Auburn University to develop a biosensor system for the rapid detection of common food-born bacterial pathogens.

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