Potential Application of Bacteriophage Therapy to Improve Poultry Health

Antibiotics  are  frequently  used  in  poultry  production,  but  broad-spectrum  antibiotics are problematic in driving antimicrobial resistance within the food chain. Consequently, alternative antimicrobials are needed to treat bacterial infections and bacteriophages (phages) could provide an effective approach. Phages  are  natural  parasites  of  bacteria  and  have  been  used  therapeutic-ally to treat both human and animal infections, including within poultry for over a hundred years. This chapter will provide an overview on the potential applications of phages within the poultry industry to reduce pathogen levels throughout the production process. It will include discussion on what phages are; where they are found; experimental poultry phage efficacy studies; phage products  currently  being  sold  commercially;  the  impact  of  phages  on  the  poultry microbiome; and advantages and limitations of using phages thera-peutically. The research discussed in this chapter demonstrates the safety and efficacy of phages to reduce pathogen abundance within poultry production and supports their use.