Role of Probiotics in Poulltry:
1.Through genetic improvements, the productivity of layers ,Breeders and broilers has improved significantly.
2. Increased disease challenges making birds more susceptible to pathogens as E. coli, Salmonella spp., Clostridium perfringens and Campylobacter spp.
3. This increased susceptibility has resulted in the use of antimicrobial growth promoters .
4. With increasing public concerns about bacterial resistance to antibiotics, the use of antibiotics in poultry feed has been severely limited or eliminated in many countries.
5. The use of probiotics and prebiotics are two approaches that have been examined and can potentially reduce enteric diseases in poultry and also enhance their productivity.
6. These substances have been proposed to assist in the prevention of carcass contamination and improve the immune response in the chicken (Huang et al., 2004).
7. Probiotic and prebiotic foods are by no means a novel approach; in fact, they have been consumed for centuries either as natural components of foods or as fermented foods, e.g. yogurt.
8. Probiotics have been defined as ‘a live microbial feed supplement which beneficially affects the host animal by improving its intestinal balance’ (Fuller, 1989).
9. The probiotic mode of action is by ‘competitive exclusion’, meaning there is competition for attachment sites in the GIT. The bacteria of the probiotic attach to the intestinal mucosa, thereby forming a physical barrier that blocks the attachment of pathogenic bacteria (Furlan, 2005).
10. They also produce antibacterial compounds and enzymes and stimulate the immune system.
Suprabatham
Dr V.Rajendra Prasad
