Yolk Antibodies Research Articles

Immunoprotective characterization of egg yolk immunoglobulin raised to loop 3 of outer membrane protein 34 (Omp34) in a murine model against Acinetobacter baumannii

Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the most notorious nosocomial pathogens with high mortality rates. Recently, egg yolk antibody (IgY), has been considered as a promising biomolecule against pneumonia caused by this bacterium. Loop 3 of outer membrane protein 34 (Omp34) was predicted as a highly exposed immunogenic peptide. However, its immunogenicity remains to be experimentally elucidated. In the current study, a construct composed of 5 copies of loop3 of Omp34 labeled as Omp34L3X5 was designed. This construct as well as the recombinant Omp34 were expressed, purified, and injected into laying hens to raise specific antibodies. The specific IgYs were extracted from hyperimmune egg yolks. The Omp34L3X5 and whole cells (WC) of A. baumannii served as antigens in indirect ELISA to assess the purified IgYs reactivity. These antibodies were administered to neutropenic mice 1 h before the challenge with 10 × LD50 of a clinical isolate of A. baumannii. The specific IgYs recognized recombinant Omp34 (P < 0.0001) as well as WC of A. baumannii (P < 0.05). The survival rate of mice that received anti- Omp34L3X5 or anti-Omp34 IgYs was 83.33 % and 100 % respectively. All control mice died within 24 h while mice that received non-specific IgYs died within 72 h. After 24 h, bacterial load in the lung of mice received non-specific IgYs, anti-Omp34L3X5 or anti-Omp34 IgYs were 2.03 × 108, 2.2 × 108, and 1.93 × 108 CFU/organ respectively. Bacterial load in the spleen of mice received non-specific IgYs, anti-Omp34L3X5 or anti-Omp34 IgYs were 1.03 × 108, 7.8 × 107, and 6.3 × 107 CFU/organ respectively. Bacterial load in lung and spleen of control mice were 3.03 × 109 and 1.45 × 108 CFU/organ respectively.

The Use of Avian Yolk Antibodies in the Inactivation of Highly Toxic Components of Biological Weapons and Especially Dangerous Infections

Currently, Western pharmaceutical companies have mastered the production of licensed drugs based on transovarial chicken specific antibodies (IgY antibodies) intended for the treatment and prevention of infections caused by Helicobacter pylori, influenza virus and other pathogens. Of particular interest is the possibility of using IgY antibodies as an inexpensive specific antidote for emergency specific prevention of infections caused by pathogens of dangerous and especially dangerous infections. The purpose of this work is to summarize the results of studies that have shown a high therapeutic potential of transovarial specific immunoglobulins in the treatment and prevention of dangerous viral, bacterial infections and injuries by biological toxins – potential agents of biological weapons (BW). The advantage of using IgY technologies for passive immunization is a non-invasive method for obtaining antibodies, as well as a large amount of them – 20–30 g of immunoglobulins, which can be obtained from one laying hen per year. An important advantage of IgY over immunoglobulins derived from mammalian serum is that they do not interact with complement components, nor with rheumatoid factor, nor with Fc receptors of mammalian immunocompetent cells, which significantly reduces the manifestation of adverse reactions, in particular, antibody-dependent enhancement of infection (ADE). Experiments carried out in vivo and in vitro showed a high activity of IgY antibodies in suppressing the damaging effect of pathogens of especially dangerous infections and biological toxins. It is shown in the article, that the replacement of mammalian IgG with avian transovarial IgY allows obtaining commercially significant amounts of thermostable specific antibodies that do not cause ADE, and expands the possibilities of methods for specific prevention and treatment of lesions caused by viruses, bacteria, and toxins – potential agents of biological weapons

Ameliorative Effects of Anti-Clostridial Egg Yolk Antibodies (IgYs) in Experimentally-Induced Avian Necrotic Enteritis.

Simple SummaryNecrotic enteritis (NE) is an important enteric infection in poultry. Since the ban on the use of antimicrobials growth promoters, NE has re-emerged significantly in commercial poultry. The current study aimed to evaluate the ameliorative effects of anti-clostridial egg yolk antibodies (EYAs) in NE. Passively immunized birds showed improved behavioral signs and gross and microscopic lesions. Although EYAs showed ameliorative potential in our study, studies regarding safe production and reliable application remain overdue. The present study was planned to evaluate the ameliorative effects of egg yolk antibodies (EYAs) in broiler chicken. For this purpose, 80-day-old broiler chickens were divided into four groups (A–D), where group A was kept as negative control. Experimental infection with C. perfringens (1 × 108 cfu/mL) was induced via oral route on days 17, 18 and 19 of the experiment in groups B, C and D. Groups C and D were passively immunized by anti-clostridial IgYs @ 1 mL per bird via oral and oral and intramuscular (I/M) routes respectively, on days 21 to 24, and on days 22 and 24 of the experiment, respectively. Two necropsies were performed (the first on day 26th and the second on day 35th). Birds in group B showed behavioral signs e.g., laziness, depression and diarrhea, gross post-mortem lesions e.g., increase in the relative weights (RW), due to acute swelling and congestion of liver and kidneys and ballooning and hemorrhages of jejunum and microscopic lesions e.g., congestion and necrosis in liver and kidneys’ parenchyma and disrupted epithelium with fewer goblet cells in jejunum, compared to the group A. Birds in groups C and D, showed significant improvements in clinical and behavioral signs, RW of liver, kidneys and jejunum, swelling, congestion and mononuclear cells’ infiltration in liver and kidneys and damages in the jejunal-wall, compared to group B. The most significant changes were found in birds of group C. Our study revealed ameliorative effects of EYAs on certain biological parameters however, further studies would be needed to justify a safer production and a reliable application of EYAs in NE outbreaks.

Polyclonal hen egg yolk antibodies could confer passive protection against Salmonella serotypes in broiler chicks

Non-typhoidal Salmonella serotypes continue to be major food safety and public health threats worldwide. In the era of emerging antimicrobial resistance, it is imperative to search for alternative strategies of infection control. Present study deals with passive protection of young chicks using polyclonal egg yolk antibodies (IgY). Laying hens were actively immunized with heat inactivated Salmonella serotypes Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotypes S. Enteritidis (SE) and S. Typhimurium (ST) isolated from the poultry. Serotype specific polyclonal IgY isolated from the hen egg yolk were evaluated for in vitro neutralization potential. Chicks challenged with pathogenic SE and ST were evaluated for passive protection that were co-administered with polyclonal immune IgY. Heat killed antigens (SE/ST) induced protective immune response in the immunized laying hens; and purified immune IgY inhibited the logarithmic phase of Salmonella growth. Administration of egg yolk at 5% (w/w) in the feed containing specific anti-SE or anti-ST polyclonal IgY to Salmonella-challenged chicks resulted in 37.48 and 38.54% reduction in the caecal Salmonella counts. As antimicrobial resistance is emerging as a growing public health problem, findings of this study indicate benefits of prophylactic feeding of egg yolk containing polyclonal IgY for the passive protection of chicks and minimize caecal Salmonella carriage.

Effect of Immunoglobulin Y Tablets on Streptococcus Mutans Counts in Adolescents: An in vivo Study

Objectives: Streptococcus mutans has been most intimately associated with the initiation and development of carious lesion. Nowadays, the treatment strategies are aimed at either elimination of this bacterium or suppression of its virulence. The search for more efficient and economical techniques, has led to growing interest for the use of egg yolk antibodies (Immunoglobulin Y). This study was conducted to evaluate the microbiological effect of Ig Y tablets on salivary Streptococcus mutans count in adolescents.&#x0D; Methods: In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 50 adolescents (12–18 years old) were divided into two groups. Group I adolescents were instructed to use fluoridated toothpaste and Group II were instructed to administer S. Mutans specific Immunoglobulin Y chewable tablets for a period of 15 days along with the fluoridated toothpaste.&#x0D; Results: The findings of this research demonstrated that the tablets containing specific egg yolk antibodies (IgY) against glucosyltransferase of S. mutans exerted a suppressive effect on S. mutans colonization of the oral cavity in healthy adolescents.&#x0D; Conclusion: These findings indicate that using IgY in the form of tablets is a novel approach and has the advantage of releasing antibodies slowly into the oral cavity. It is thus effective in decreasing the colonization of the S. mutans, and lowering the induction of dental caries.

Preclinical Assessment of IgY Antibodies Against Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 RBD Protein for Prophylaxis and Post-Infection Treatment of COVID-19.

Within the framework of the current COVID-19 pandemic, there is a race against time to find therapies for the outbreak to be controlled. Since vaccines are still tedious to develop and partially available for low-income countries, passive immunity based on egg-yolk antibodies (IgY) is presented as a suitable approach to preclude potential death of infected patients, based on its high specificity/avidity/production yield, cost-effective manufacture, and ease of administration. In the present study, IgY antibodies against a recombinant RBD protein of SARS-CoV-2 were produced in specific-pathogen-free chickens and purified from eggs using a biocompatible method. In vitro immunoreactivity was tested, finding high recognition and neutralization values. Safety was also demonstrated prior to efficacy evaluation, in which body weight, kinematics, and histopathological assessments of hamsters challenged with SARS-CoV-2 were performed, showing a protective effect administering IgY intranasally both as a prophylactic treatment or a post-infection treatment. The results of this study showed that intranasally delivered IgY has the potential to both aid in prevention and in overcoming COVID-19 infection, which should be very useful to control the advance of the current pandemic and the associated mortality.

Egg Yolk Antibodies: Production and applications in the diagnosis and treatment of animal diseases - A review

Antibodies are extensively used in molecular biology, protein detection, cell isolation, immunopathology as well as in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases in humans and animals. Rabbit and mice are the common mammalian species used for the production of both polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies. However, there are many advantages of raising antibodies in poultry. Chicken are phylogenetically distant from mammals and reacts strongly against highly conserved mammalian antigens. Also, chicken has a natural tendency to concentrate immunoglobulins in higher concentrations in egg yolk which makes subsequent collection and separation of antibodies easier by non-invasive methods than the separation from serum as in rabbits or mice. Moreover, by laying eggs each day a hen can act as a small antibody production unit. Eggs or egg yolk can be included as dietary components and egg yolk antibodies (EYA) have minimal toxic or side effects. At the same time, chicken immunoglobulin (IgY) can resist almost all gastric barriers in food animals, help in reducing gastrointestinal pathogen attachment and colonization, and improve digestion, thus can act as an excellent feed additive. The EYA can also be produced against various bacterial, fungal, or other immunogenic toxins and snake venoms. This review presents an overview of the production and purification techniques of EYA, its challenges and the applications in the diagnosis and treatment of animal diseases along with the conjectures on the future of IgY technology.

A new approach of immunotherapy against Crotalus snakes envenoming: ostrich (Struthio camelus) egg yolk antibodies (IgY-technology)

Crotalid envenomation is a neglected collective health problem involving many countries in America, which need secure and inexpensive snake anti-venom treatments. Here, high antibody titers (IgY) were raised in the Ostrich (Struthio camelus) egg yolk by immunizing with the venom of Venezuelan venomous Crotalus snakes. Ostriches were immunized with a pool of venoms from common rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus cumanensis), Uracoan rattlesnake (Crotalus vegrandis), Guayana rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus ruruima) and black rattlesnake (Crotalus pifanorum). The anti-snake venom antibodies were prepared from egg yolk by the water dilution method, enriched by the addition of caprylic acid (CA) and precipitation with ammonium sulfate at 30% (W/V). The purity and molecular mass of the final product was satisfactory, yielding a single ∼ 175 kDa band in SDS-PAGE gels ran under non-reducing conditions. In the immunoblot analysis, specific binding of the antivenom was observed with most venom proteins. The LD50 was 16.5 g/mouse (825 µg/kg body weight). High titers of IgY against Crot/pool venom were shown by ELISA. The median effective dose (ED50) was 19.66 mg/2LD50. IgY antibodies neutralized efficiently the Crot/pool venom lethality. As far as we know, this is the first anti-snake venom produced in ostriches, which could make this technology an affordable alternative for low-income countries, since it is likely to produce about 2-4 g of IgY per ostrich egg. Hence, almost 400 g of IgY can be purified from only one ostrich during a year. In addition, there are enormous differences in the cost of investment in the maintenance of horses, from the points of view of infrastructure, feeding and veterinary care, in which the cost can reach USD 100 per animal per day, compared to a maintenance cost of USD 146 per month per producing bird. These results are encouraging and could easily be extrapolated to the manufacturing of other antivenoms and antitoxins as well, as they could be applied to the manufacturing of potential diagnostic tools.

Electron-Beam Inactivation of Human Rotavirus (HRV) for the Production of Neutralizing Egg Yolk Antibodies

Electron beam (eBeam) inactivation of pathogens is a commercially proven technology in multiple industries. While commonly used in a variety of decontamination processes, this technology can be considered relatively new to the pharmaceutical industry. Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe gastroenteritis among infants, children, and at-risk adults. Infections are more severe in developing countries where access to health care, clean food, and water is limited. Passive immunization using orally administered egg yolk antibodies (chicken IgY) is proven for prophylaxis and therapy of viral diarrhea, owing to the stability of avian IgY in the harsh gut environment. Since preservation of viral antigenicity is critical for successful antibody production, the aim of this study was to demonstrate the effective use of electron beam irradiation as a method of pathogen inactivation to produce rotavirus-specific neutralizing egg yolk antibodies. White leghorn hens were immunized with the eBeam-inactivated viruses every 2 weeks until serum antibody titers peaked. The relative antigenicity of eBeam-inactivated Wa G1P[8] human rotavirus (HRV) was compared to live virus, thermally, and chemically inactivated virus preparations. Using a sandwich ELISA (with antibodies against recombinant VP8 for capture and detection of HRV), the live virus was as expected, most immunoreactive. The eBeam-inactivated HRV’s antigenicity was better preserved when compared to thermally and chemically inactivated viruses. Additionally, both egg yolk antibodies and serum-derived IgY were effective at neutralizing HRV in vitro. Electron beam inactivation is a suitable method for the inactivation of HRV and other enteric viruses for use in both passive and active immunization strategies.

Immunodetection of Furcraea Necrotic Streak Virus-FNSV in fique plants (Furcraea macrophylla Baker) using a polyclonal antibody IgY produced in chicken egg yolk

The necrotic streak of the fique (Furcraea spp.) or “Macana” disease is considered the most limiting disease for this crop in Colombia, whose causal agent is the Furcraea Necrotic Streak Virus - FNSV (RNA+). Currently, there are no strategies to control the disease, being necessary to develop methods for detection of this pathogen in the planting material before being taken to the field. In this study, polyclonal antibodies produced in egg yolk (IgY) were produced and assesses for detection FNSV. Two immunoenzymatic methodologies were standardized: dot blot immunobinding assay (DBIA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), determining their specificity and sensitivity. The detection limit by DBIA corresponded to 8 μg/mL of purified virus suspension using 10 μg/mL of primary antibody. In the ELISA test, the primary antibody concentration of 3 μg/mL (1:800 dilution) detected the antigen at concentrations between 10 and 70 μg/mL. The polyclonal antibody anti-FNSV IgY allowed the detection of FNSV in samples of purified virus and extracts of roots and leaves of fique plants with symptoms of “Macana” disease and did not produce any signal with the control samples. Results showed the potential of using egg yolk IgY in immunological tests for the detection of FNSV in fique plants.

Preclinical Evaluation of Chicken Egg Yolk Antibody (IgY) Anti-RBD Spike SARS-CoV-2-A Candidate for Passive Immunization against COVID-19.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a substantial threat to the international health sector and the global economy. As of 26 December 2021, the number of mortalities resulting from COVID-19 exceeded 5.3 million worldwide. The absence of an effective non-vaccine treatment has prompted the quest for prophylactic agents that can be used to combat COVID-19. This study presents the feasibility of chicken egg yolk antibody (IgY) anti-receptor-binding domain (RBD) spike SARS-CoV-2 as a strong candidate to neutralize the virus for application in passive immunization. For the purpose of preclinical studies, we radiolabeled IgY anti-RBD spike SARS-CoV-2 with radionuclide iodine-131. This allowed us to evaluate several biological characteristics of IgY in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo. The preclinical data suggest that IgY anti-RBD spike SARS-CoV-2 could specifically bind to the SARS-CoV-2 antigens; however, little uptake was observed in normal cells (MRC-5) (<2%). Furthermore, the ex vivo biodistribution study revealed that IgY predominantly accumulated in the trachea of normal mice compared to other organs. We also found that IgY possessed a good safety profile when used as an intranasal agent. Taken together, we propose that IgY anti-RBD spike SARS-CoV-2 has the potential for application in passive immunization against COVID-19.

Effects of surfactants on activity and structure of egg yolk antibody

Egg yolk antibody (IgY) is a superior functional antibody, which can be widely utilized in food, medical diagnosis, and daily chemical industry. Specific anti-Streptococcus mutans IgY can effectively prevent the occurrence of caries. It has the great potential to be used in active toothpaste against caries. However, the effect of surfactants used in toothpaste on the activity and structure of IgY should be evaluated. As ELISA methods revealed, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) generated a great loss of IgY activity compared to the impacts of cocoamidopropyl betaine (CAB). The thermal transition temperature of the CAB-IgY mixture was extended backwards, while SDS-IgY had basically no apparent endothermic peak illustrating the protein was denatured prior to heating. The conformation and secondary structure changes of IgY can also be observed from the blue shift of aromatic amino acid, fluorescence quench, and FTIR spectrum at presence of SDS. By contrast, CAB behaved no significant destruction on IgY and could be used as a great foaming agent in the antibody toothpaste.

Ultrasensitive microfluidic immunosensor with stir bar enrichment for point-of-care test of Staphylococcus aureus in foods triggered by DNAzyme-assisted click reaction

This work demonstrated an ultrasensitive and simple microfluidic immunosensor for point-of-care test of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) based on the stir bar enrichment and DNAzyme-assisted click reaction. Initially, S. aureus was enriched by the 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid-functionalized stir bar. The yolk antibody (immunoglobulin Y) and copper-labeled polydopamine nanoparticles were then specifically conjugated with the captured target. The Cu(II) was released under acidic conditions and effectively catalyzed the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) between the alkyne group-labeled DNAzyme and the streptavidin–biotin-azido with the assistance of DNAzyme. Finally, the DNAzyme-streptavidin complexes were detected by microfluidic chips to quantify S. aureus. Under optimum conditions, this immunosensor showed good detection performances toward S. aureus within 10 to 2.5 × 104 CFU/mL with a limit of detection of 3 CFU/mL. Moreover, the satisfying detection results of real samples of animal origin also implied that this immunosensor owned great potential in practical applications.

Advances in Chicken IgY-Based Immunoassays for the Detection of Chemical and Biological Hazards in Food Samples.

As antibodies are the main biological binder for hazards in food samples, their performance directly determines the sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility of the developed immunoassay. The overwhelmingly used mammalian-derived antibodies usually suffer from complicated preparation, high cost, frequent bleeding of animals, and sometimes low titer and affinity. Chicken yolk antibody (IgY) has recently attracted considerable attention in the bioanalytical field owing to its advantages in productivity, animal welfare, comparable affinity, and high specificity. However, a broad understanding of the application of IgY-based immunoassay for the detection of chemical and biological hazards in food samples remains limited. Here, we briefly summarized the diversity, structure, and production of IgY including polyclonal and monoclonal formats. Then, a comprehensive overview of the principles, designs, and applications of IgY-based immunoassays for these hazards was reviewed and discussed, including food-borne pathogens, food allergens, veterinary drugs, pesticides, toxins, endocrine disrupting chemicals, etc. Thus, the trend of IgY-based immunoassays is expected, and more IgY types, higher sensitivity, and diversification of recognition-to-signal manners are necessary in the future.

Maternal immunization against myostatin suppresses post-hatch chicken growth.

Myostatin (MSTN) is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth, thus it was hypothesized that immunization of hens against MSTN would enhance post-hatch growth and muscle mass via suppression of MSTN activity by anti-MSTN IgY in fertilized eggs. This study investigated the effects of immunization of hens against chicken MSTN (chMSTN) or a MSTN fragment (Myo2) on the growth and muscle mass of offspring. In Experiment 1, hens mixed with roosters were divided into two groups and hens in the Control and chMSTN groups were immunized with 0 and 0.5 mg of chMSTN, respectively. In Experiment 2, hens in the chMSTN group were divided into chMSTN and Myo2 groups while the Control group remained the same. The Control and chMSTN groups were immunized in the same way as Experiment 1. The Myo2 group was immunized against MSTN peptide fragment (Myo2) conjugated to KLH. Eggs collected from each group were incubated, and chicks were reared to examine growth and carcass parameters. ELISA showed the production of IgYs against chMSTN and Myo2 and the presence of these antibodies in egg yolk. IgY from the chMSTN and Myo2 groups showed binding affinity to chMSTN, Myo2, and commercial MSTN in Western blot analysis but did not show MSTN-inhibitory capacity in a reporter gene assay. In Experiment 1, no difference was observed in the body weight and carcass parameters of offspring between the Control and chMSTN groups. In Experiment 2, the body weight of chicks from the Myo2 group was significantly lower than that of the Control or chMSTN groups. The dressing percentage and breast muscle mass of the chMSTN and Myo2 groups were significantly lower than those of the Control group, and the breast muscle mass of Myo2 was significantly lower than that of the chMSTN. In summary, in contrast to our hypothesis, maternal immunization of hens did not increase but decreased the body weight and muscle mass of offspring.

Egg yolk antibodies (IgY) and its therapeutic uses for human and animal health -A review

Egg yolk antibodies (IgY) and its therapeutic uses for human and animal health -A review

The possibility of using Ig Y-antibodies in immunotherapy

The importance of yolk antibodies (IgY) for their use in the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases is shown. The structural features of IgY compared to human immunoglobulins were studied. The disadvantages of obtaining hyperimmune sera from mammalian animals were revealed. A feature of IgY is its resistance to trypsin and chymotrypsin, which can contribute to more effective treatment of diseases. Data on optimization of the technology for obtaining yolk antibodies (IgY) from various bird species are presented. It is shown that 25-50 mg of highly purified immunoglobulin can be obtained from one bird egg. Obtaining immunoglobulins from eggs is more humane than using mammals for this purpose. Compared to ion exchange chromatography, gel chromatography, and ultrafiltration, the methods of precipitation with various chemicals (ammonium sulfate) were found to be simpler in terms of methodology. The results of electrophoresis revealed two types of proteins with a molecular weight of about 65 kDa and 30 kDa, which corresponds to the mass of the «heavy» and «light» IgY chains. Quail species Coturnix coturnix japonica as a producer of biological raw materials for the production of diagnostic immunoglobulins have great advantages over chickens (Gallus domesticus).

Rapid and sensitive detection of Staphylococcus aureus by using a long-period fiber grating immunosensor coated with egg yolk antibody

The rapid and reliable detection of bacteria plays an important role in clinical and veterinary practice. A stable, label free, compact, and sensitive long-period fiber grating (LPFG) sensor based on egg yolk antibody (IgY) was proposed for the detection of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). LPFG was fabricated with laser writing technology, and specific IgY was further immobilized on the grating region and then combined with the corresponding bacteria. S. aureus was detected by tracking the change of resonance wavelength in the LPFG transmission spectrum caused by bacteria-antibody interaction induced by the increase of biological cover thickness and density after the immune reaction. The testing results showed that the proposed sensor was selective and sensitive to S. aureus measurement, and the detection limit is approximately 33CFU/ml. The proposed antibody immobilization method is very simple, and the optical fiber can be manufactured in batch to reduce the cost. The detection time of the sensor is around 20min, which is fast and suitable for detection. The assay was successfully applied for the quantitative analysis of S. aureus in natural waters and met the needs of on-site screening trace pathogenic bacteria in food safety control.

Passive immunotherapy using chicken egg yolk antibody (IgY) against diarrheagenic E. coli: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundAnimal diarrhea due to diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) has been a major concern in the field of livestock farming leading to a severe loss of domesticated animals. This systematic review aims to analyze medical shreds of evidence available in the literature and to discover the effect of IgY in treatment and protection against E. coli diarrhea. Methods and resultsResearch reports that aimed to evaluate the effect of IgY against E. coli diarrhea were searched and collected from several databases (Science Direct, Springer link, Wiley, T&F). The collected studies were screened based on the inclusion criteria. 19 studies were identified and included in the meta-analysis. The pooled relative risk ratios were calculated for the studies and found to be statistically significant to support the therapeutic effect of IgY against E. coli diarrhea but the 95% confidence interval of a majority of studies includes a relative risk of 1. This variability between the effect of IgY in the overall estimate and individual studies accounts due to the presence of methodological heterogeneity. In addition, subgroup analysis revealed the grounds for heterogeneity. ConclusionsThis systematic review and meta-analysis provide concrete evidence for the favorable effect of IgY as a prophylactic and therapeutic modality against E. coli diarrhea. Yet, more research pieces of evidence with standardized animal studies aimed to utilize IgY against E. coli are vital. Further studies and trials on human subjects could open new perspectives in the application IgY as a therapeutic agent.

Multi-functional magnetic molecular imprinting probe for visual detection of IgY antibodies.

Egg yolk antibodies (IgY)are analternative to mammalian antibodies, which have been successfully applied in treatment ofdisease, asimmunochemical reagents and asfood additives. A fast, accurate, and easy-to-operate detection method for IgY antibodies is needed. Herein, we developed a rapid and cost-effective colorimetric assay for the ultrasensitive detection of anti-S. aureus IgY antibodies using multi-functional magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MMIPs). The prepared MMIPs can recognize, adsorb, and separate the analyte from the matrix efficiently, and oxidize TMB to generate a colorimetric signal within ~ 60min. As low as 0.013mg·mL-1 was able to be detected by using this method. The visual detection limit reached 0.02mg·mL-1. By testing the IgY in milk samples, the feasibility was verified.