Probiotics in animal nutrition: A review

Abstract

The normal microflora colonizing the digestive tract in livestock species at five to six days after birth can be summarized as following: 400 to 500 different bacterial strains for a total count of 10(14) bacteriae. The role of the gut flora is multifarious: fermentation of feed compounds, induction of anatomical and physiological changes in the intestinal cell wall structure, increase in animal resistance against enteropathogenic bacteriae, etc. In the present review, the numerous hypotheses for explaining the beneficial effects of probiotics on zootechnical performances and also the healthy aspects for men and animals are summarized, and the possible mechanisms of bacterial attachment are enumerated. The different assumptions on mode of action and fixation mechanisms of probiotics in the gut are critically discussed, and the required characteristics of the ideal probiotic are listed. Finally, some zootechnical results obtained with lactic acid bacteria are shown for calves, piglets and broilers.

Digestibilidad aparente de dietas con probióticos o fitasa para potros Mangalarga Marchador

“…La microbiota intestinal ejerce un papel de extrema importancia en la salud del hospedador al inducir cambios morfo-fisiológicos en el epitelio intestinal y el sistema inmunológico local. Participa, además, del sistema de defensa no inmunológico compitiendo con los microbios oportunistas por el aprovechamiento de los nutrientes y el espacio, y elaborando sustancias antimicrobianas, enzimas y vitaminas (Vanbelle et al, 1990;Losada y Olleros, 2002). Moore et al (1994) observaron una mayor concentración de protozoarios y bacterias celulolíticas en el ciego de los animales cuando añadieron levaduras a la dieta de los equinos, observando aumento de la digestibilidad de la materia seca (MS), proteína bruta (PB), fibra neutrodetergente (FDN) y fibra ácidodetergente (FDA).…”

Effect of lactulose on growth performance and intestinal morphology of pre-ruminant calves using a milk replacer containing Enterococcus faecium

“…The knowledge that the normal intestinal flora has a protective function against infection provides the basis for the use of probiotics and prebiotics (Gorbach, 2000;McNaught and MacFie, 2001). The application of this know how in veterinary medicine and its versatile use plays an increasingly important role (Vanbelle et al, 1990), in particular when the protective potential of the microbial gut flora is reduced, for example during stress. The vitality and the well being of the animals can be improved and digestive problems and losses caused by nutrition reduced.…”

Effect of different growth promoters on broiler performance and gut morphology

“…Supplementation of poultry diets with commercially available MOS and DFM enhances profitability by improving performance parameters in live birds (Iji and Tivey 1998). Probiotics are additives composed of living microorganisms which induce beneficial effects in animal organism by eubiosis without antibiotic addition into the feed, as defined by Parker (1974), Fuller (1977) and Vanbelle et al (1990). Recently, DFM, a source of live microorganisms like bacteria, fungi and/or yeasts have been introduced (Miles and Bootwalla 1991).…”