ARS | Publication request: Current status of practical applications: Probiotics in dairy cattle

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: July 1, 2011
Publication Date: December 15, 2011
Citation: Callaway, T.R., Edrington, T.S., Poole, T.L., Nisbet, D.J. 2011. Current status of practical applications: Probiotics in dairy cattle. In: Callaway, T.R., Ricke, S.C., editors. Direct Fed Microbials/Prebiotics for Animals: Science and Mechanisms of Action. New York, NY: Springer Verlag Publishing. p. 121-136.

Technical Abstract: The gastrointestinal microbial population of dairy cattle is dense and diverse, and can be utilized to reduce pathogenic bacterial populations as well as improve animal productivity and environmental impacts. Because of the nature of the dairy industry, probiotic products have been widely used to enhance milk production and feed efficiency. The individual efficacy of probiotics in dairy cattle is due to specific microbial ecological factors within the gut of the food animal and its native microflora that alter the competitive pressures of the gut. This chapter explores the ecology behind the efficacy of probiotic products against foodborne pathogens that inhabit food animals.