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Bacillus thuringiensis under 1000X magnification. Image: Dr Sahay, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikipedia
High hopes for a naturally occurring bacterial dewormer have been vindicated, after recently published research showed it was highly effective against large roundworms in foals.
The results of the research, published in the journal
One Health, represent an important step towards the development of a commercially available dewormer.
The research centers on a free-living bacterium,
Bacillus thuringiensis, which produces a family of crystal proteins to combat its competitors. Some of these proteins have potent activity against parasitic worms.
The findings are the result of a collaboration between scientists at the University of Kentucky’s Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, the University of Massachusetts and the US Department of Agriculture.