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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #322607
Title: Efficiency of the use of pre and probiotics for dairy cows

Author
item Callaway, Todd
item Edrington, Thomas
item Anderson, Robin
item Nisbet, David

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/18/2015
Publication Date: 10/31/2015
Citation: Callaway, T.R., Edrington, T.S., Anderson, R.C., Nisbet, D.J. 2015. Efficiency of the use of pre and probiotics for dairy cows. Proceedings of the Third International Symposium of Dairy Cattle. pp. 33-54.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The gastrointestinal microbial population, or microbiome, of dairy cattle is extremely dense and diverse, and factors within this ecosystem can be utilized to reduce pathogenic bacterial populations that may impact animal and human health, as well as improve animal productivity and environmental impacts. Probiotic and prebiotic feed additives have been widely used worldwide in the dairy industry to enhance milk production and feed efficiency. The individual efficacy of probiotics and prebiotics in dairy cattle is primarily due to specific microbial ecological factors within the gut of the dairy cow and her native microflora, which causes a competitive interaction between the native microbiome and introduced organisms from a probiotic. Herein, we explore the ecology behind the efficacy of probiotic products and how they may impact dairy production efficiency and can be used to improve both human and animal health.