Review of the Efficacy and Safety of Poly (2-propenal, 2-propenoic acid): a Novel Antimicrobial Polymer

Abstract

The withdrawal of antibiotic growth promoters is likely to increase the incidence of enteric disease in pig and broiler farms; especially in poorly sanitised conditions. Therefore, replacements for the antibiotic growth promoters currently used in both pig and poultry production, which offer disease control and delay the further development of antibiotic resistance, will become increasingly important. Poly (2-propenal, 2-propenoic acid) (pPPA) is a new chemical entity undergoing development by Chemeq Ltd, Australia. It was designed to contain aldehyde groups for antimicrobial activity, carboxylic acid groups to aid water solubility and conformationally is a long chain, high molecular weight polymer developed to minimise intestinal absorption. pPPA is postulated to kill bacteria by cross-linking bacterial lipoproteins and has in vitro bactericidal activity towards weaner pig and poultry pathogens. Results from in vitro and in vivo studies show weaner pigs treated with pPPA had significantly less intestinal colonisation with a challenge strain of beta-haemolytic Escherichia coli and usually significantly less post-weaning diarrhoea than untreated control pigs. In broiler chickens, treatment with pPPA helped to maintain health and improved growth performance. Importantly, treatment of weaner pigs and broiler chickens ten times the recommended dose of 30 mg/kg of pig/day and 3 mg/kg chicken/day did not induce toxicity. In summary, pPPA is an aldehydic antimicrobial compound that was developed to kill bacteria without significant intestinal absorption by treated animals. pPPA has bactericidal activity towards common pathogens of weaner pigs and broiler chickens and is proven to be safe for treated animals. The excellent combination of efficacy and safety mean pPPA has the potential to become an important new drug in the pig and poultry industry.