Managing Gut Function and Health in Non-Ruminants Without Antimicrobials: The Role of Nutrition

摘要

Diet formulation is a precise science driven by the need to match nutrient supply with requirements. Central to this proposition is an assumption of a functional gastrointestinal tract to digest and absorb nutrients and to excrete waste products. Instructively, the gut harbors a highly complex microflora made up of > 400 different species that are critical for the host nutrition, health, performance and quality of the products. However, there are many specific pathogens that also inhabit the gut andthey generally cause dysfunctional gut when the ecosystem is disturbed in some manner. For example, there is greater risk of an outbreak of necrotic enteritis in poultry or post-weaning scours in piglets with the use of certain feed ingredients and nutrients. In the context of antimicrobial (AGP) free feeding program, nutrition has multi-factorial role for maintaining functional and healthy gut. For example, approaches that enhances digestive and absorptive capacity such as feed processing, feed enzymesand functional ingredients (epidermal growth factors, yeast nucleotides). It is also prudent to expect that pigs and poultry raised in AGP programs will experience higher incidences of intestinal health problems and prolonged period of immunological challenges. Thus strategies for suppressing pathogens and maintaining intestinal integrity such as probiotics, prebiotics, immune-nutrients and organic acids will also be integral for successful AGP free feeding programs. These approaches in combination with improvements in management, vaccination programs and/or genetics will be effective in optimizing growth performance of pigs and poultry raised without or with reduced antibiotics for growth promotion.