Patent

1 . A feed or foodstuff comprising:

a) Bacillus subtilis DSM 32540;

b) at least one ingredient selected from the group consisting of: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, additional probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes, vitamins, immune modulators, milk replacers, minerals, amino acids, coccidiostats, acid-based products, medicines, and combinations thereof; and

c) at least one added carrier to improve one or more characteristics selected from the group consisting of: recovery; efficacy; physical properties; packaging and administration;

wherein:

i) when the feed or foodstuff is fed to an animal, the growth of pathogenic bacteria is reduced compared to growth in the feed or foodstuff without said Bacillus subtilis DSM 32540; and wherein said pathogenic bacteria are selected from the group consisting of: Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium difficile, Enterococcus cecorum, Streptococcus gallinaceus and Streptococcus suis bacteria; and

ii) said Bacillus subtilis DSM 32540 is able to grow in the presence of 2 mM bile.

2 . The feed or foodstuff of claim 1 , wherein said feed or foodstuff is a dry product and the added carrier is selected from the group consisting of: anti-caking agents; anti-oxidation agents; bulking agents; and protectants.

3 . The feed or foodstuff of claim 1 , wherein the Bacillus subtilis DSM 32540 is in the feed or foodstuff in an amount sufficient to reduce Clostridium perfringens growth in an animal gut by at least 0.5 log.

4 . The feed or foodstuff of claim 3 , wherein the Bacillus subtilis strain is present at 1×10 3 to 2×10 12 colony forming units (CFU) per gram of feed or foodstuff.

5 . A feed or foodstuff comprising a naturally non-occurring mutant of Bacillus subtilis DSM 32540, wherein said mutant is not found in nature and comprises a DNA sequence identity to DSM 32540 of at least 99.5%;

wherein:

i) said mutant of Bacillus subtilis DSM 32540 inhibits the growth of at least one of: Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium difficile, Enterococcus cecorum, Streptococcus gallinaceus and Streptococcus suis bacteria;

ii) said mutant of Bacillus subtilis DSM 32540 is able to grow in the presence of 2 mM bile; and

iii) the feed or foodstuff further comprises at least one ingredient selected from the group consisting of: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, additional probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes, vitamins, immune modulators, milk replacers, minerals, amino acids, coccidiostats, acid-based products, medicines, and combinations thereof and an added carrier selected from the group consisting of: anti-caking agents; anti-oxidation agents; bulking agents; and protectants;

wherein the mutant of Bacillus subtilis DSM 32540 is present in said feed or foodstuff in an amount sufficient to reduce pathogenic bacterial growth in an animal gut by at least 0.5 log compared to the same feed or foodstuff in the absence of the mutant of Bacillus subtilis DSM 32540.

6 . The feed or foodstuff of claim 5 , wherein said feed or foodstuff is a dry product and further comprises one or more carriers selected from the group consisting of: anti-caking agents; anti-oxidation agents; bulking agents; and protectants.

7 . The feed or foodstuff of claim 5 , wherein said feed or foodstuff inhibits or decreases the growth of Clostridium perfringens in said animal.

8 . The feed or foodstuff of claim 7 , wherein the mutant of Bacillus subtilis DSM 32540 is present at 1×10 3 to 2×10 12 CFU per gram of feed or foodstuff.

9 . The feed or foodstuff of claim 5 , wherein said mutant of Bacillus subtilis DSM 32540 exhibits a Clostridium perfringens strain ATCC 13124b1945, Streptococcus gallinaceus strain DSM 15349 and/or Streptococcus suis strain DSM 9682 clearance of at least 10 mm in a well diffusion antagonism assay on agar plates prepared with LB medium that is supplemented with trace elements of DSMZ media 1032.

10 . The feed or foodstuff of claim 5 , wherein the mutant of Bacillus subtilis DSM 32540 is present in the feed or foodstuff in an amount sufficient to reduce the growth of Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium difficile, Enterococcus cecorum, Streptococcus gallinaceus and Streptococcus suis bacteria by at least 1 log in infected animals administered a diet of the feed or foodstuff on a daily basis or to reduce the mortality of infected animals by at least 2% compared to animals administered the same diet but where the feed or foodstuff does not comprise the Bacillus subtilis mutant.

11 . The feed or foodstuff of claim 5 , wherein said mutant of B. subtilis DSM 32540 is a genetically engineered bacteria or said mutant has a mutation resulting from growing bacteria in the presence of a mutagen.

12 . A feed or foodstuff comprising fermentation products that comprise B. subtilis DSM 32540 and

wherein, when the feed or foodstuff is fed to an animal, it inhibits the growth of at least one of: Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium difficile, Enterococcus cecorum, Streptococcus gallinaceus and Streptococcus suis bacteria compared to growth when the feed or foodstuff is without said Bacillus subtilis DSM 32540; and

wherein the Bacillus subtilis DSM 32540 is present in the feed or foodstuff in an amount sufficient to reduce pathogenic bacterial growth in an animal gut by at least 0.5 log when fed to said animal.

13 . The feed or foodstuff of claim 12 , further comprising one or more carriers selected from the group consisting of: anti-caking agents; anti-oxidation agents; and bulking agents.

14 . The feed or foodstuff of claim 12 , wherein the Bacillus subtilis strain is present at 1×10 3 to 2×10 12 CFU per gram of composition.

15 . The feed or foodstuff of claim 13 , wherein the added carrier is an anti-caking agent or a bulking agent and the composition is a dry product.