ARS | Publication request: THE ROLE OF BENEFICIAL MICROFLORA IN CONTROLLING ENTERIC BACTERIAL DISEASES: PROBIOTICS, PREBIOTICS, AND COMPETITIVE EXCLUSION

Submitted to: Cornell Nutrition Conference for Feed Manufacturers
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: October 1, 2003
Publication Date: October 21, 2003
Citation: HARGIS, B., TELLEZ, G.I., NAVA, G., DONOGHUE, A.M., VINCENTE, J.L., HIGGINS, S.E., DONOGHUE, D.J., WOLFENDEN, A.D. THE ROLE OF BENEFICIAL MICROFLORA IN CONTROLLING ENTERIC BACTERIAL DISEASES: PROBIOTICS, PREBIOTICS, AND COMPETITIVE EXCLUSION. CORNELL NUTRITION CONFERENCE FOR FEED MANUFACTURERS. 2003. P. 108-118.

Technical Abstract: There is growing concern with regard to the continued emergence of antibiotic resistance bacteria which pose a significant risk to both human and animal health. Antibiotics have been used as therapeutic agents in agriculture since the 1940's and in sub-therapeutic doses as food additives to improve feed conversion of livestock and domestic poultry since the 1950's. However, the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture, both a therapeutic and sub-therapeutic levels, is thought by some to add to the problem of the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria (Anonymous, 1999). The emergence of antibiotic resistance bacteria has been the basis for considerations to eliminate or severely restrict the use of antibiotics in the poultry and other animal industries. Such restriction would make animal agriculture vulnerable to an increase in bacterial disease of food safety and animal health importance. For example, there is growing evidence from voluntary 'antibiotic-free' poultry production operations suggesting that new problems with these diseases may significantly increase the risk of pathogen contamination of poultry products, increase the cost of poultry production, and decrease poultry welfare. Therefore, there is a real need to find effective and practical alternatives to antibiotics for poultry production.