Monash University > News and Events > Monash Memo

Re-writing 'the book' on a devastating poultry disease

5 March 2008

Scientists will develop new vaccines to fight poultry diseases thanks to a discovery by Monash PhD student, Anthony Keyburn.

A world-first discovery by Monash PhD student, Anthony Keyburn has poultry scientists worldwide taking a fresh look at the devastating bacterial disease, necrotic enteritis, one of the most common and financially crippling poultry diseases.

Mr Keyburn has discovered that the alpha-toxin protein long thought to be required for necrotic enteritis to develop was not the main cause of the chicken disease. It is in fact caused by Clostridium perfringens, a bacterium found in soil, litter, dust and in small quantities in the intestines of healthy chickens.

The bacterium only causes disease when it proliferates to high numbers, producing toxins that attack the bird's intestines, causing lesions.

Poultry producers use antibiotics to treat and prevent the disease, which, when triggered, can cause mortality rates of up to 50 per cent.

These discoveries have led to a new research project led by CSIRO's Dr Rob Moore and Monash University's Professor Julian Rood -- a Chief Investigator with the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Structural and Functional Microbial Genomics.

Dr Moore said the project would now investigate the development of effective vaccines against the disease.

"Around the world, poultry producers are waiting for vaccines against necrotic enteritis," Dr Moore said.

"Thanks to Anthony's discoveries, scientists should now be able to develop the vaccines within a couple of years."