Diseases of food animals represent a major deterrent to a profitable and sustainable animal aigriculture sector. Direct economic losses associated with food animal diseases include deaths and reductions in the animal's productive capacity. Indirect economic losses associated with animal diseases include the costs of antimicrobial drugs, vaccines, surveillance measures, and the labor needed to implement treatment and control measures [1] . The ability of animals to resist the establishment of disesises during production agriculture is related, in part, to the efficiency of their immune system. The immune system consists of a variety of biological components and processes that serve to protect animals from the consequences of disease. The primary roles of the immune system are to prevent microbial invasion of the body, eliminate existing infections and other sources of cellular injury, and restore tissues to normail function. In animals, the immune system utilizes a multifaceted network of physical,cellular and soluble factors to facilitate defense against a diverse array of microbial challenges. This integrated system of defense mechanisms is highly regulated to maintain a delicate balance between the activation of immunity needed to prevent; theestablishment of disease and resolution of activity once the threiat of invasion has passed. This paper will provide a brief overview of the immune system, describe how suboptimal immune responses can fall to prevent disease, and outline current strategies to optimize immiune responses in food-animals during times of increased susceptibility to disease.
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