Bioflavonoids – a key role in pathogen control

An exciting world breakthrough in the fight against disease – which started with a by-product of the orange juice industry – could prove valuable in the fight against many pathogens, found in a range of environments from poultry units and food processing plants to hospitals and hotels.

It started in Spain, where the effluent from an orange processing factory stopped the local sewage works from working. As Dr Alan Beckerton of Uncle Teds Organics, explains: “The effluent had killed off all the bugs.” Further investigation revealed that certain bioflavonoids were the active compounds killing the bugs. They are natural substances that occur in plants and have many other beneficial properties, such as assisting the uptake of vitamin C, antioxidants, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and, of most interest, antiviral properties. “Scientists have found that they engulf viruses and make them inactive,” said Beckerton.

Ted Dickin and Dr Beckerton therefore set out to develop a product containing a blend of bioflavonoids and essential oils, HerbaCyte, saying: “When fed to layer breeders from week 33, egg size increased by 3g over the following four weeks. Half of this increase occurred within seven days of feeding. There was also a six percent improvement in egg production and 0.5 percent reduction in mortality.”

With broilers, Dickin found improvements in body weight of both male and female birds fed HerbaCyte compared with those fed feed containing a propriety antibiotic growth promoter. This work was done in New Zealand in conjunction with another associate, Ian Ripley (based in Middlesbrough), a leading organic chemist.

Going a step further, Dickin and Ripley have developed EnviroCyte, a bioflavonoid-based product designed for disinfecting wipe down surfaces, hand wipes and fogging poultry buildings. Laboratory tests carried out by Prof John Oxford at Retroscreen Laboratories, University of London, have shown the product to be effective against viruses and Abbott Laboratories have shown it to effective against a huge number of pathogens, including MRSA – Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella typhimurium and E coli. Furthermore, the active ingredient has been tested independently by DEFRA and found to be effective against viruses such as those causing Avian Influenza and Newcastle disease.

Initial work with turkeys showed that fogging at day 5, 18 and again on day 47 reduced mortality rates normally associated with Turkey Rhinotracheitis. Yet the total treatment cost only comes to 0.15p/bird. “It’s completely safe, as these compounds are found in many foods and like all UTO products, it has no withdrawal period,” says Dickin.

But the uses for these Bioflavonoids do not stop there; they are also beneficial in personal hygiene areas, especially in cleaning agents for kitchens, washrooms and hospitals. The action of this unique blend of soluble bioflavonoids in destroying pathogens and viruses, coupled with the fact that they are natural products, means that they are very safe to use. Indeed, the use of personal hand cleaners and wipes as a terminal disinfectant or regularly throughout the day will provide round-the-clock protection from bacteria, viruses and fungi. EnviroCyte has also been proven in independent tests to BSEN 1276 standard.

The list of pathogens against which EnviroCyte is effective, tested by this standard, is extensive. The list includes the major bugs that are problematical in human health and hygiene – Salmonella, E.Coli, Listeria and many others. Indeed effectiveness has been shown against MRSA, a known killer in recovering patients in many hospitals.

EnviroCyte has been shown to be so safe that the active ingredients have been widely used as a sprayed preservative on fruit and vegetables and in the processing of fish prior to sale. Quality has been improved and shelf life lengthened without adverse comment. Indeed consumers and users of the products have expressed greater preference for them compared with the hitherto standard decontaminants.

The safety aspect is not in question – these products are non-toxic, non carcinogenic, non mutagenic, hypoallergenic and non corrosive to equipment – how many disinfectants can you say that about?

Further developments from these materials have resulted in a powerful product in the form of Nvirox, which has been shown to be extremely effective against Avian Influenza. Indeed, the active ingredient in Nvirox, Citrox MDC, has been tested against H5N1 virus at the Retroscreen Laboratories and shown to be 99.9998 percent effective in these trials. Viral challenges have proved to be a problematic for many years, not only in animals and birds, but also in humans. Many medicines and disinfectants have proved ineffective against viruses and are used solely to treat the secondary effects of viral challenges. Nvirox deactivates the virus and renders it ineffective, thereby preventing opportunistic pathogens from gaining a foothold. Nvirox is also compliant with EU Farming Regulation 2092/91.

Bird flu has quickly spread to humans in the Far East – over 120 people have died from the disease. The worry is that the viral strain will mutate and cause an epidemic in the human population. This could be catastrophic. Indeed, it is predicted that this will happen – it is only a question of when.

Currently the answer to its eradication is the slaughter of the infected stock, but Nvirox can be used as a preventative measure destroying the virus before it is even discovered. The spread of disease can then be contained and the threat deactivated. Furthermore, there is no evidence that Nvirox is resistant to bird flu virus. Moreover Nvirox is the only decontaminant specifically tested against H5N1 virus. Its use as a cleaning and decontamination agent is therefore established in the fight against this deadly disease.

Independent poultry consultant, David Spackman stated: “The development of the new Nvirox product has exciting potential in the control of Avian Influenza, specifically the H5N1 strain.”

Discussions are currently under way with the University of Bristol to gain further results in vivo to scientifically establish the products and their mode of action particularly their effect on Campylobacter spp.