To Örebro University

BACKGROUND: P. aeruginosa possesses antibiotic resistance, making treatment difficult. Polyclonal anti-P. aeruginosa IgY-antibodies (Pa-IgY) have antibacterial effects, but have not been studied in large animal pneumonia.

OBJECTIVES: To test if Pa-IgY decreases the concentration of P. aeruginosa in broncho-alveolar lavage in experimental porcine pneumonia over 27 hours.

METHOD: Norwegian landrace pigs were anesthetized, mechanically ventilated and subject to invasive monitoring. The animals were randomized to receive either P. aeruginosa (control, n=12) or P. aeruginosa + Pa-IgY antibodies with a repeated dose of Pa-IgY after 12 hours (intervention, n=12) in the right lower pulmonary lobe. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cultures and physiological measurements were obtained repeatedly for 27 hours after which the pigs were sacrificed.

RESULTS: in the control group (n.s.). The intervention group had lower heart rate (p<0.001), lower cardiac index (p<0.01) and lower arterial lactate (p<0.001) compared to the control group. The core temperature was lower in the intervention group than in the control group (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION: The chosen dose of Pa-IgY did not decrease concentrations of P. aeruginosa in BAL over 27 hours. We conclude that it is unlikely that there is a large effect of this specific dose and route of administration of Pa-IgY in this type of model.