IRTA leads an international research to produce an alternative to antibiotics based on extracts rich in molecules with antimicrobial activity

Under the name Bac4RumA, the project will test in animals the use of extracts of bacteriocins, molecules produced by bacteria to defend themselves and compete in their natural environment.

The research involves professionals from the United Kingdom, Turkey and Nigeria, where the new product will be administered to ruminants and fish.

It is a very low-cost solution, especially designed for developing countries, which could later be exported worldwide.

Converting bacteria into factories of products called bacteriocins that serve to eliminate other infection-causing bacteria. This is the starting point of Bac4RumA, an ambitious international project led by the Institute of Agri-Food Research and Technology (IRTA) from the Ruminant Production laboratory in Caldes de Montbui and the Aquaculture group in La Rapita.

Focused on finding a low-cost alternative to antibiotics for use in animals that can be manufactured and used in developing countries, the project is being carried out with professionals from Royal Holloway University in London, NOHU University in Turkey and the University of Ilorin in Nigeria. The resulting product will be tested on ruminant farms and fish farms in Nigeria.

Cows, sheep, goats and tilapia

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics, the result of overuse of these drugs over many years, is a problem for global health, including human and animal health.

“From IRTA’s Ruminant Production program we have been working for some time to develop molecules that allow us to treat animals that have bacterial infections to minimize the use of antibiotics and now, within the framework of this project, we want to develop a new generation of low-cost antimicrobials by producing extracts rich in bacteriocins,” explains Anna Arís Giralt, researcher of this program and coordinator of Bac4RumA. “In addition, we are trying to offer a single solution for two problems: infections affecting ruminants and also those affecting fish, which is why researchers Sílvia Torrecillas, Enric Gisbert and Dolors Furones from IRTA’s Aquaculture program are also participating in the project,” adds Arís.

Specifically, the product resulting from the research at IRTA will be tested on cows, sheep and goats, which often suffer from mastitis, i.e. infections of the mammary gland that cause significant economic losses for the dairy industry. Its effect will also be tested in tilapia farms, where outbreaks caused by bacterial diseases are costly. This will be carried out on dozens of farms in Nigeria, where both the effectiveness and the total costs of the application of bacteriocin extracts will be evaluated.

Bacteriocins: a natural resource to be enhanced

Bacteriocins are peptides, i.e. chains of amino acids, which many bacteria produce naturally to defend themselves against other microorganisms or to compete with them. One of the groups of bacteria that produce this type of peptides are lactic acid bacteria, used for the production of dairy products. The IRTA team will work with one of them, called Lactococcus lactis, to combat two bacteria that cause infections in animals and also in humans: Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae.

Elena Garcia Fruitós, a researcher in IRTA’s Ruminant program, who together with Anna Arís is leading the work in the laboratory, explains: “We will engineer Lactococcus lactis. We will introduce DNA fragments to develop strains that are highly productive of bacteriocins. Thus, these strains, in addition to producing the bacteriocins they already produce naturally, will synthesize more and in the way we are interested in. To do so, we will use a totally innovative technology; we will manufacture the bacteriocins as concatamers, that is, joining different molecules in a chained manner, which will allow us to produce them more efficiently and obtain a final molecule with greater potential”.

To obtain extracts rich in bacteriocins and free of other parts of the bacteria that produce them, it is necessary to take several steps. The objective of Bac4RumA is to reduce the number of steps to a minimum in order to keep costs as low as possible. In this sense, IRTA will test two options: to induce the bacteria to secrete the bacteriocins, which a priori would be the cheapest option, or to break the bacteria and extract the bacteriocins from inside.

Once the extracts are obtained, they will be administered to ruminants through an infusion in the mammary gland and, in the case of tilapia, they will be included in their feed. In addition, the team working from Turkey will evaluate whether this product stimulates the immunity of pregnant dairy cows and if this then has a beneficial impact on the calves through colostrum consumption.

On-site production in developing countries

The project will end in December 2026. As it progresses, doctoral students from Nigeria will travel to Catalonia to learn how to manufacture the bacteriocin-rich extracts at IRTA and thus ensure the transfer of knowledge to this African country.

Meanwhile, local Nigerian companies interested in this technology will be contacted. Likewise, if the product is effective, it could also be used in high-income countries, but only after patenting. “If Bac4RumA has the results we expect, it will be a step forward that will benefit us all,” concludes Arís.