There is currently no effective strategy available to prevent or reduce Campylobactercolonisation in broilers as the bacteria continues to be a threat to the European poultry industry, Orffa Additives said.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) posited that the public health benefits of controlling Campylobacter should be found in reducing the bacterial load in the broiler intestinal tract at the end of the finishing period.

MitigatingCampylobacterin the broiler intestine at slaughter age with 2 or 3 log10 CFU, is believed to alleviate public health risk with 76% or 90% respectively.

CAMPYBRO is a large European funded project to investigate strategies to control Campylobacterinfections in broiler flocks through vaccination and nutrition. The project is a collaboration between research institutes (IMASDE and ANSES) and major European organisations and stakeholders - specifically BTT, FIA, CIDEF, NEPLUVI, PROPOLLO, MIKROLAB, REDONDO and CZV - in the poultry industry.

One of the first studies of the CAMPYBRO project evaluated the effect of different feed additives on broilers infected with Campylobacter.

The probiotic Calsporin^® (Bacillus subtilis C-3102) - a European authorised probiotic produced by Asahi Calpis Wellness and distributed by Orffa Additives - was one of the three treatments showing a significant reduction of Campylobacter at day 42, slaughter age.

In a second study, the research group evaluated the combination of a blend of mono-glycerides and organic acids (MGOA) with Calsporin^®. Over the whole period, the treatment with MGOA and Calsporin^® significantly reduced ceacalCampylobacter counts, with a decrease of 4 log10 CFU reached at slaughter weight.

Calsporin^® is known to have a beneficial effect on the intestinal microflora, thereby reducing harmful gut bacteria. The promising results of the CAMPYBRO project are in line with earlier obtained data, which indicates that Calsporin^® could be a critical tool in controlling Campylobacter among broiler flocks.