Abstract
Livestock production is changing worldwide. The ban on antibiotic growth promoters in Europe, the shift of animal production centres to Brazil or Eastern Europe, increase in demand for traceability and natural production, and the emergence of new diseases, are all forcing livestock producers to adapt to new husbandry, management, nutrition and healthcare techniques. Food safety is an explosive political issue - the expectations and demands of the informed consumer have altered perceptions of risk and brought food safety to the very front and centre of politics. The changes in legislation on the use of feed additives will impact livestock production, location of production and feed formulation. Veterinarians and producers look for alternatives to maintain intestinal health and maximise animal performance, whilst still complying with increasingly stringent (EU) legislation.
'Intestinal health' reviews the changes in livestock production and some of the clinical and sub-clinical disease challenges faced (mainly) in pig and poultry production. It discusses the current infectious and non-infectious challenges as well as the complex interaction between innate, cellular and humoral immunity and performance. The problems that this complexity poses concerning the identification of important factors for intestinal health are discussed, and new approaches such as the development of validated biomarkers, the application of omics techniques and systems biology are reviewed.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Intestinal health, Key to maximise growth performance in livestock |
Editors | T. Niewold |
Place of Publication | Wageningen |
Publisher | Wageningen Academic Publishers |
Chapter | 11 |
Pages | 253-273 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9789086867929 |
ISBN (Print) | 9789076998916 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2014 |
Keywords
- Host
- Interactions
- Intestinal health
- Mathematical models
- Microbiota
- Nutrition