Unveiling the therapeutic applications of Streptomyces albus against bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections in poultry

SUMMARYActinomycetes play an essential role in the modern scientific world due to their unique nature. They possess small hyphae similar to fungi but are non-motile and aerobic bacteria in nature. Pharmacologically, they are renowned because of their novel bioactive compounds, which help kill pathogenic microbes and parasites. A wide range of antibiotics used to treat various infections has been commercially derived from the genus Streptomyces. Poultry, being the most affordable source of protein, has experienced significant growth over the past two decades; however, the prevalence of various poultry diseases has also increased during this time. Necrotic enteritis, coccidiosis, candidiasis, ectoparasitic, and endoparasitic diseases not only destroy birds’ health but also pose a big challenge to the economy. Streptomyces as a probiotic enhances prebiotic function and sustains gut health in birds. They naturally exist in a bird’s gastrointestinal tract and can be given as a probiotic in feed to maintain microbial balance, support of immune system, and overall health and performance in poultry in the near future. Streptomyces albus is an Actinomycete used for producing various antimicrobial drugs. They produce compounds to break the pathogen’s cell membrane and block RNA replication and transcription, but the mechanism of action varies with particular diseases. Avermectin is the antiparasitic drug produced by Streptomyces avermitilis, but S. albus produces butenolide compounds to stimulate avermectin production in S. avermitilis. This review highlights the importance of Actinomycetes and their role in treating bacterial, fungal, and parasitic diseases of poultry with secondary bioactive compounds extracted from S. albus.