Chicken immunoglobulin (IgY) as an alternative treatment for bacterial infections, emphasizing advantages, disadvantages and mechanisms

Abstract

The overuse of antibiotics has led to an alarming spread of drug-resistant microbial infections, creating an urgent need for new therapeutic technologies. This issue has become a significant concern in recent years due to the increase in mortality rates, especially in hospital infections. In addition to antibiotic resistance, side effects caused by antibiotics, such as liver and kidney complications, threaten immunocompromised patients, infants, and the elderly, which indicates the need for immediate action. One of these technologies that has attracted attention as an alternative or complementary treatment for bacterial and viral infections is chicken immunoglobulin )IgY). This process involves extracting chicken immunoglobulin antibodies from egg yolk, which is achieved by injecting killed or recombinant pathogen antigens into the chicken. Several studies have investigated the therapeutic effects of IgY on bacterial infections in vitro and in vivo. However, a research gap exists regarding the mechanism of action, benefits, and possible side effects of these antibodies. This review article examines the structure, mechanism of action, optimal production conditions, advantages, and disadvantages of using this antibody, which can be widely used in the future.