A recent study in Brazil showed that the technology behind a proprietary bacteriophage “cocktail” developed by PhageLab can significantly reduce the presence of Salmonella in poultry farms.
The results were reported in the January 2025 edition of Poultry Science.
According to PhageLab, this discovery marks a “significant step forward in food safety and disease control in poultry, particularly in a country that leads global chicken meat exports.”
Bacteriophages are viruses that specifically infect and eliminate bacterial cells. PhageLab developed Inspektor® using proprietary technology to combat the most prevalent Salmonella serovars in Brazil, including Minnesota and Heidelberg.
17-farm study
The study, conducted in 17 commercial poultry farms in Paraná involving more than 4 million chickens, assessed the impact of Inspektor over four production cycles. During the experiment, the product was administered via drinking water at three points during the 42-day production cycle.
The results show that Inspektor reduced the Salmonella load by up to 6 logs in treated cycles, with significant decreases in the Minnesota and Heidelberg serovars (the two most relevant in broilers in Brazil) across all applications.
A 1-log reduction corresponds to a 10-fold decrease in Salmonella quantity. For example, if a farm had 1 million bacteria before the bacteriophage cocktail application, the Salmonella count dropped to just one bacterium afterward.
Residual effects
Additionally, the technology demonstrated residual effects, with continued reductions in Salmonella levels until the end of the production cycle, even after the final product application. PhageLab said this result is particularly relevant in Brazil, where the warm climate promotes bacterial growth.
The company added that bacteriophage therapy emerges as an effective and sustainable alternative to antibiotics, helping mitigate antimicrobial resistance.
To access the full study, click here. For more information about PhageLab, click here.
