Optimizing gut health in the era of antimicrobial stewardship

SUMMARY

The major drivers in the rapid growth of food demand include growing world population, rising incomes and eating trends towards higher meat intake. Chicken meat and eggs are viable and high-quality protein sources, an increased demand of which has led to a rapid growth of industrial poultry production. The consumption of contaminated meat, eggs and allied products is one of the major cause of food borne illnesses so food safety has become a matter of ever increasing global concern. Since decades, antibiotics have extensively been used in animals for prophylaxis and treatment of various infections and subtherapeutic levels of antibiotics have commonly been used in animal feeds as growth promoters. The rational use of antibiotic growth promoters has potential impact on poultry production with their consistent performance in optimising gut health and prevention of enteric diseases. However, the emergence of antibiotic resistance has led to a ban on use of antibiotic growth promoters in some parts of the world. The role of gut microbiota in sustainable poultry production and alternatives strategies to optimise gut health has been discussed. To implement a successful antimicrobial stewardship strategy in intensive poultry production, a multidimensional approach is needed to facilitate the successful replacement of antibiotic growth promoters.

KEYWORDS:

• Poultry
• meat
• egg
• antibiotics
• antimicrobial resistance
• gut health
• antimicrobial stewardship

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).