Chicken egg yolk antibodies (IgY) as non-antibiotic production enhancers for use in swine production: a review

Abstract

In recent years, the use of in-feed antibiotics for growth and disease prevention in livestock production has been under severe scrutiny. The use and misuse of in-feed antibiotics has led to problems with drug residues in animal products and increased bacterial resistance. Chicken egg yolk antibodies (IgY) have attracted considerable attention as an alternative to antibiotics to maintain swine health and performance. Oral administration of IgY possesses many advantages over mammalian IgG such as cost-effectiveness, convenience and high yield. This review presents an overview of the potential to use IgY immunotherapy for the prevention and treatment of swine diarrhea diseases and speculates on the future of IgY technology. Included are a review of the potential applications of IgY in the control of enteric infections of either bacterial or viral origin such as enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., rotavirus, porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus, and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus. Some potential obstacles to the adoption of IgY technology are also discussed.

Effects of specific egg yolk immunoglobulin on pan-drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

“…Different from traditional antibacterials, specific IgY is environmentally-friendly and does not elicit undesirable side effects, drug resistance or toxic residues [19,20]. In addition, IgY possesses a large number of advantages over mammalian IgG such as cost-effectiveness, convenience, and high yield [20,21].…”

IgY antibodies for the immunoprophylaxis and therapy of respiratory infections

“…Finally, IgY antibodies are not deposited in meat, hence avoiding potential violations of regulations in countries that forbid the use of antibiotics for poultry and livestock. 68 IgY antibodies used for passive immunotherapy also have advantages in addition to having local, rapid activity to the pathogen, they can be given to a wide range of individuals of any age, ranging from infants to adults and including immunodeficient patients and pregnant women. 20 As natural components of eggs, the IgY antibodies tend to be nontoxic.…”

“…70 They also need lower antigen quantities to induce an efficient immune response. 68 IgY can be stored in eggs for at least 1 year at 4°C. 71 Large quantities of IgY antibodies can be produced by one chicken (about 22 g/year), and 2% to 10% of these antibodies are target specific, 25,72 which exceeds the annual production from four rabbits.…”

“…71 Large quantities of IgY antibodies can be produced by one chicken (about 22 g/year), and 2% to 10% of these antibodies are target specific, 25,72 which exceeds the annual production from four rabbits. 68 Furthermore, the production of eggs for human consumption is already carried out on an industrial scale, making low cost production of IgY in large quantities technically feasible. 36,73 IgY structure Chicken IgA and IgM are structurally and functionally analogous to mammalian IgA and IgM, while IgY differs from mammalian IgG despite their similar function.…”

Application of an immunoglobulin Y-alkaline phosphatase bioconjugate as a diagnostic tool for influenza A virus

“…Therefore, antibodies that are cheaper and easier to produce are needed. IgY antibody, developed as an alternative to monoclonal antibodies, has been used to diagnose several infectious diseases [26].…”