Intralytix has announced a new exclusive partnership that expands the use of bacteriophages into the protein live production sector, reinforcing its long-standing role at the forefront of phage-based biological solutions.
The Maryland-based company has agreed with Plaza Feed & Crop Nutrition to integrate its bacteriophage products into specialised phage kits designed for livestock applications. The collaboration brings together Intralytix’s highly targeted phages with Plaza’s Cecabiotics probiotic, creating a combined system intended to manage bacterial pathogens while supporting overall animal health.
Intralytix’s technology is based on bacteriophages, which are naturally occurring viruses that infect and kill bacteria. These kits combine phages to target particular foodborne pathogens, such as Salmonella, Listeria, and E. Coli, that are frequently linked to livestock production. Cecabiotics, a broad-spectrum probiotic designed to maximise nutrient utilisation, improve animal performance, and prevent the growth of dangerous bacteria, is combined with the phages.
The combined strategy is intended to function via complementary mechanisms. The phages act rapidly and selectively (unlike antibiotics) against their bacterial targets, while the probiotic component occupies the ecological niche left behind. The aim is to achieve a longer-term microbial balance without disrupting beneficial bacteria.
Founded more than three decades ago, Intralytix is regarded as the oldest bacteriophage company in the United States and has played a central role in moving phage technology from research into commercial and regulated use. The company has pioneered regulatory pathways for phage products, established large-scale manufacturing under current Good Manufacturing Practice standards, and developed one of the world’s largest portfolios of phage products approved by US food safety authorities.
Its facilities operate under stringent quality frameworks, including Safe Quality Food certification for phage manufacturing, and the company was the first globally to establish a Master Drug File with the US Food and Drug Administration for phage manufacturing suitable for human clinical applications.
The collaboration with Plaza indicates a growing interest in expanding phage applications further into livestock production systems, even though a large portion of its work has been concentrated on food safety and public health.
Conversely, Plaza Feed & Crop Nutrition, a Houston, Texas-based company that was established in 2017, specializes in obtaining and distributing crop nutrition and animal feed products from foreign vendors. Supported by the logistics infrastructure of its parent company, The Plaza Group, the team consists of agricultural experts and animal nutritionists with decades of experience in the field. Plaza presents itself as a middleman between product developers and farmers looking for performance-driven solutions through exclusive distribution agreements.
The market for protein livestock production—which includes ruminants, poultry, and other livestock industries where productivity, sustainability, and disease control are important—is the focus of the agreement. Producers and regulators alike are paying more attention to biological alternatives like probiotics and phages as pressure mounts to address antimicrobial resistance and reduce the use of antibiotics.
The partnership also represents a larger trend toward integrated biosolutions, which combine microbiome support and phage precision antimicrobial activity.
