Patent ID: 7241443

Claim:
A method of promoting the growth of food animals by decreasing the waste of dietary protein caused by the presence of a protein-wasting immunogen in the rumen or intestinal tracts of food animals by inhibiting the ability of the immunogen to adhere to the rumen or intestinal tracts of food animals to reduce the ability of the immunogen to multiply, said protein-wasting immunogen is P antigen from P. anaerobius , said method comprising: A. Inoculating female birds, in or about to reach their egg laying age, with P antigen from P. anaerobius; B. Allowing a period of time sufficient to permit the production in the birds and eggs laid by the birds of antibody in the eggs to P antigen from P. anaerobius , said antibody in the eggs including IgY immunoglobulins in the yolks of the eggs and IgM and IgA immunoglobulins in the albumin of the eggs; C. Harvesting the eggs laid by the birds; D. Separating the entire contents of said harvested eggs from the egg shells; E. Drying said separated entire contents of said harvested eggs; F. Distributing said dried entire contents of said harvested eggs substantially uniformly in animal feed or water to provide antibody-containing animal feed or water; and G. Supplying the resulting dried entire contents of said harvested eggs and animal feed or water to food animals whereby the IgY immunoglobulins bind to the protein-wasting immunogens to inhibit adherence of the protein-wasting immunogen in the intestinal tracts of the animals thereby promoting the growth of the animals.