Date Full Report Received04/04/2017
Date Abstract Report Received04/04/2017
Funded ByNational Pork Board
The use of antimicrobials in feed and their positive benefits on growth performance during the nursery stage of swine production system is well established. In the past, producers have widely used antimicrobials throughout the nursery stage of swine production, even in the absence of a disease challenge. With the changing perspectives on the use of in-feed antimicrobials, alternative technologies are being considered that can provide growth performance benefits. Probiotics are one such alternative that enhance gut health for improved performance benefits. Antimicrobial resistance in swine is of major public health concern. The perpetuation of antimicrobial resistance involves complex ecological and genetic factors other than the selection pressure exerted by the use of antibiotics. It is therefore important to evaluate and ensure that probiotics, an alternative to antibiotics, do not themselves contribute to AMR development, before producers can be guided as to which probiotics are effective in mitigating AMR. We have identified probiotic products, frequently used in the swine industry, that carry or do not carry AMR. Results from our study will help the swine industry to draw useful conclusions on potential risks for human health caused directly by the use of antibiotic alternative. Our research will significantly advance applied scientific knowledge in ways to manage levels of bacterial resistance in swine production settings that are of concern both to the swine industry and to the public. This evaluation will also help us select probiotic products that are likely to have maximum impact in the mitigation of AMR in gut bacteria. Results from this study will help to develop intervention strategies to mitigate AMR and toward maintaining the usefulness of current antimicrobial drugs in swine production system.