This novel technology is part of the multi-platform approach to replace the use of antibiotics in farmed animal production.

Folium has designed its Guided Biotic™ technologies to selectively remove unwanted organisms that are detrimental to productivity. Three independent in-vivo studies have conclusively proved that Guided Biotics™ can dramatically reduce salmonella bacteria in poultry.

In these three studies, Guided Biotics™ were given to test groups of birds as an additive to the drinking water whilst the control groups were not given the Guided Biotic™. All birds were then exposed to salmonella.

Collectively, the data showed statistically significant reductions (p=0.0001) in colony forming units (CFUs) of Salmonella bacteria when comparing colonisation levels in the test groups with those of the control groups. These reductions were seen in two key parameters. Whereas every bird (100 percent) in the control groups without Guided Biotic™ were colonised with ~106 salmonella per gram of gut contents there was an overall drop in colonisation of at least log 3 across the flock given the Guided Biotic™ and furthermore salmonella could not be detected in 50 percent of the birds given the Guided Biotic™.

Chief Scientific Officer Professor Martin Woodward says “Having been involved in animal vaccine development for many years, these are quite stunning data. The data shows the huge potential for Guided Biotics™ to be a very meaningful tool in the selective removal of unwanted bacteria in poultry and other livestock. To have in-vivo data that reinforces our in-vitro data where reductions of log 6 have been achieved is a very exciting step forward in the translation of this technology to a much-needed non-antibiotic commercial solution.

"Not only are birds healthier as a result of a reduced bacterial pathogen burden but the reduced shedding of bacteria carries with it a reduced risk of cross contamination, environmental spread and significantly less entry into the human food chain. We have also designed Guided Biotics™ to tackle the productivity issues caused by Campylobacter, Avian Pathogenic E. coli and Clostridium perfringens and other pathogens that confound poultry production. We are very excited about achieving these truly remarkable data in-vivo in poultry and this encourages us to make the necessary design changes for other production issues in pigs, cattle, fish and shrimp”.

FOLIUM Science remains committed to developing this technology across a broad range of applications to selectively remove unwanted bacteria with products in development for pigs, cattle and aquaculture. For example, Guided Biotics™ have the potential to address scouring in cattle, neonatal diarrhoea in pigs, campylobacter colonisation of poultry, Vibrio parahaemolyticus in shrimp amongst others. Additional work includes the development of treatment sprays and biocides for bacterial blights in fruit, vegetable and other staple food crops.

FOLIUM Science CEO Ed Fuchs said: “We recognise one of the greatest challenges of modern times in production is the spectre of antibiotic resistance and we have just demonstrated in these poultry trials the ground-breaking potential of our Guided Biotics™. The specificity of our technology allows us to target only those bacteria that reduce animal or plant productivity, leaving the good bacteria intact and stabilising the microbiome. Farmers are having to deal with many persistent problems, so we are aspiring to give them a productivity benefit of several percentage points. By feeding Guided Biotics™, farmers will improve productivity and give themselves an insurance against the associated financial losses that these inherent issues can drive. The data from this project demonstrates the effect on a major poultry issue however Guided Biotic™ technology can be equally effective on a broad range of bacterial species found in agriculture and aquaculture and we are already working on further solutions to support greater productivity across the food supply chain”.