Antibiotics serve an important function in health care for horses, humans, and other animals. But as they’ve become more commonly used, many of the pathogens they’re designed to treat are becoming resistant to their effects. This so-called "antibiotic resistance" is now a serious problem for doctors and veterinarians alike.

“The progressive reduction in antibiotic efficacy has left us with few alternatives for fighting infections and has contributed to substantial economic losses and public alarm,” explained Rima Menassa, PhD, from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

One way to decrease antibiotic use in both human and veterinary medicine is through vaccination. That said, concerns about vaccinating persist among some owners and include the cost, the logistics of vaccinating large herds, secondary infections at the injection site, and, in some cases, lack of vaccine efficacy. So if an owner doesn’t want to use traditional vaccines, what other option do they have?

“One viable alternative is the use of plant-based systems to produce edible vaccines or even antibodies (proteins that help fight infections) against disease-causing organisms to decrease the incidence of disease,” said Menassa. “Edible vaccines can be administered in the diet … and do not breach the skin through injection