Alternatives to Antibiotics in Animal Health

11 May 2012

The history of antibiotic use in animal production and alternative strategies that work are reviewed by Sandra Avant of the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in the latest issue of Agricultural Research.In the early 1940s, the first antibiotic – penicillin – was used successfully to treat bacterial infections and to save thousands of lives, including those of wounded World War II soldiers. Today, antibiotics, which target microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, and parasites, are essential for human and animal health. They continue to save lives as well as increase animal production and efficiency.Food supplements, probiotics, and phytonutrients have been shown to help fight some poultry diseases.Left to right, avian immunologist Hyun Lillehoj and visiting scientists Duk Kyung Kim and Hong Yeong Ho identify host defense genes of broiler chickens infected with protozoan parasites.In a milking parlor at Aimes, Iowa, molecular biologist John Lippolis collects milk samples for test to see whether vitamin D reduces the severity of mastitis.Salmonella is estimated to cause more than 1.3 million cases of human foodborne disease each year.E. coli causes significant economic losses to livestock industries. Photo by Eric Erbe, colorized by Christopher Pooley.Nitro and chlorate compounds may be used in the future to kill disease-causing bacteria in the gut of calves and other young livestock.Animals that have recently been weaned are particularly susceptible to bacterial infections and may benefit a lot from the nitro and chlorate treatments.However, exploration of alternative strategies to mitigate the use of antibiotics is needed in view of growing concerns about antibiotic resistance to certain strains of bacteria and increasing restrictions on their prudent use in animals. Some of the latest scientific breakthroughs and technologies, which provide new options and alternative strategies for enhancing production and improving animal health and well-being, will be presented at an international symposium, ‘Alternatives to Antibiotics: Challenges and Solutions in Animal Production’ on 25 to 28 September 2012 at the headquarters of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in Paris, France. “A number of the new technologies have direct applications as medical interventions for human health, but the focus of the symposium is animal production, animal health, and food safety,” says Cyril Gay, national program leader for animal health with the Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, Maryland. “The result of this symposium will be an assessment of new technologies for treating and preventing diseases of animals and recommendations that will advance strategies for growth promotion and health in livestock, poultry, and aquaculture.” Over the years, ARS scientists have developed and patented new technologies that could aid in reducing antibiotic use. Some of those tools have been shown to be effective in treating mastitis in cattle, controlling foodborne enteric bacterial pathogens, creating antimicrobials that kill disease-causing bacteria, and protecting poultry against parasites.