389 Research paper – Papatsiros – 2014 – Alternatives to antibiotics for farm animals

In Significant Impact Groups: Specific alternatives \ Immunomodulators
Species targeted: Sheep; Dairy; Poultry; Pigs;
Age: Not stated;
Summary:

Nowadays, there is an increasing concern for the public health about the consequences from the long and increased use of antibiotics in livestock production. The use of antibiotics in animal feed as growth promoters has been completely banned by the European Union since 2006, based on their possible negative effects on human and animal health. The removal of growth promoters has led to animal performance problems and a rise in the incidence of certain animal diseases. Thus, there is an urgent need to find alternatives to antibiotics, especially in EU. Due to the modern consumers’ concern about the potential development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria as well as at the same time the need to prevent economic losses of the farmers, alternatives to antibiotics has been developed to prevent the health problems and to improve the growth performance in farm animals. Owing to the full ban of antibiotic use in EU there is an urgent need to find alternatives to in-feed antibiotics. New strategies and commercial products must be developed to improve animal health and performance, based on their safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness. The aim of this study is to summarize the beneficial effects of currently used alternatives to in-feed antibiotics, i.e. probiotics, prebiotics, organic acids, phytogenic compounds and zeolites on health and growth performance in farm animals (swine, poultry and ruminants).

Where to find the original material: https://www.cabi.org/cabreviews/review/20133390413; 10.1079/PAVSNNR20138032
Country: Europe

387 Research paper – Kahn – 2019 – From farm management to bacteriophage therapy strategies to reduce antibiotic use

Specific alternatives \ Immunomodulators

Species targeted: Pigs; Poultry; Dairy; Beef; Sheep;
Age: Different for different species;
Summary:
A number of effective or commercially viable alternatives have been implemented to reduce the use of antibiotics in livestock. The most well-established strategies are flock and herd management practices to mitigate disease introduction and spread, and, subsequently, reduce the need for antibiotic use. While vaccines in food animal production have been used to prevent both bacterial and viral diseases, but historically, most vaccines have targeted viral diseases. Though vaccines against viral diseases can help reduce the need for antibiotic use by controlling the spread of secondary bacterial infections, more recent vaccines under development specifically target bacteria. New developments in selecting and potentially tailoring bacteriophages provide a promising avenue for controlling pathogenic bacteria without the need for traditional small-molecule antibiotics. In this article we discuss these established and emerging strategies, which are anticipated to reduce the reliance on antibiotics in food animal production and should reduce the prevalence and transmission to humans of antimicrobial resistant bacteria from these systems.

Where to find the original material: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6850639/; 10.1111/nyas.14034

Country: Canada, New York