Without antibiotics: ingredients to promote health

摘要

Veterinary and nutritional experts call for a fresh look at the health-control opportunities afforded by feed ingredients. Holistic medicine aims to treat the whole patient rather than applying remedies to specific parts of the body. The term firstsurfaced in South Africa during the mid-1920's. So it seems appropriate that South African specialists in pig production should now be urging a more holistic approach to health control, as the combined forces of legislation and consumer opinion start toimpose limits on the use of antibiotics in feeds in the majority of pork-producing countries. "In order to counteract the production cost advantage enjoyed by producers in countries where such limits are not set, it is essential for us to integrate and apply present knowledge of pronutrients, detoxifiers and enzymes together with new research findings, "declare swine veterinarian Dr Bert Zumpt and nutritional consultant Jon Tilley in South Africa. They say there is a need to think in holistic terms instead of simply trying to impede the development of specific pathogenic organisms. Today's aim must be to create a gut environment inside the animal that is not only hostile to pathogens, but also encourages the growth of friendly microbes such as lactobacilli.