Moreover the low value of the standard error (0.2 pfu/g) of the phage titer after two days of treatment demonstrated that there

were small variations in the dose of phage that each bird received. Figure 4 Numbers of Campylobacter jejuni 2140CD1 (a) and phages (b) in faeces from broilers orally administered a phage cocktail by gavage. Thirty day-old chicks were inoculated with Campylobacter jejuni 2140CD1. One week later the birds were randomly assigned to a treated group or an untreated group and were inoculated by oral gavage with antacid containing 1 × 106pfu of a phage cocktail, or antacid only respectively. Faecal samples were collected from all birds at intervals and Campylobacter and phages enumerated. Error bars represent the standard error of the mean. At 2 dpa, 4 dpa and 7 dpa there is a significant difference between control and Selleckchem Copanlisib infected group at P EPZ5676 < 0.05. Figure 5 Numbers of Campylobacter coli A11 (a) and phages (b) in faeces from broilers orally administered phage by food or by oral gavage. Forty-five, day-old chicks were inoculated with Campylobacter coli A11. One week later the birds were randomly assigned to one of three groups, a non-treated group and two treated groups: a group receiving the phage cocktail by oral gavage; and a group receiving the phage cocktail in feed. Birds were inoculated with antacid only, antacid containing 1 × 106pfu

phage cocktail or antacid followed by feeding with the phage cocktail laced with 1.5 × 107pfu, respectively. Faecal samples were collected from all birds at intervals and Campylobacter and phages enumerated. Error bars represent the standard error of the mean. At 1 dpa, find more 2 dpa, 4 dpa and 7 dpa there is a significant difference between control and infected groups at P < 0.05. Table 1 Difference between the geometric means of the Campylobacter Thymidine kinase titre from broilers with and without the phage cocktail administration Experiment Administration route Campylobacter titre (log10cfu/g)     Day 2 Day 4 Day 7 Experiment

1 Oral Gavage 1.74 2.34 2.18 Experiment 2 Oral Gavage 1.25 1.58 1.69   Feed 2.00 1.45 1.96 The phage titers from faecal samples of the chicks infected with C. jejuni and C. coli were log10 5.3 pfu/g and log10 3.4 pfu/g for Experiment 1 and Experiment 2 respectively. These values remained approximately constant throughout the experimental period showing that phages delivered to chicks (either by oral gavage or in feed) were able to replicate and therefore able to reduce the Campylobacter populations. Previous studies [40, 41] have used the number of Campylobacter in the caecal contents of the birds as a measure of Campylobacter colonisation levels in the GI tract of chickens [41, 34]. Although this may be a representative of colonisation levels, the animals must be killed and dissected to obtain the sample. This can lead to the use of an excessive number of birds when multiple time points are required to evaluate phage levels over the lifetime of the bird.