{"id":101498,"date":"2022-02-24T11:44:47","date_gmt":"2022-02-24T10:44:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ew-nutrition.com\/antibiotic-reduction-with-high-performance-can-swine-operations-do-it-2\/"},"modified":"2023-06-09T10:04:05","modified_gmt":"2023-06-09T08:04:05","slug":"antibiotic-reduction-with-high-performance-can-swine-operations-do-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ew-nutrition.com\/us\/antibiotic-reduction-with-high-performance-can-swine-operations-do-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Antibiotic reduction with high performance: Can swine operations do it?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Dr.<\/strong> Inge Heinzl<\/b>, Editor, EW Nutrition<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

According to the American Medical Association, antimicrobial resistance is one of the main threats to public health nowadays. More than 2 million people are infected with bacteria resistant to different types of antibiotics every year (Marquardt and Suzhen, 2018<\/a>). Prof Dame Sally Davies (2012)<\/a>, Chief Medical Officer for England, mentions that antibiotics are losing their effectiveness at alarming rates. Bacteria are finding ways to survive the antibiotics, so these molecules no longer work. O\u2019Neill (2016)<\/a> predicted in his report that 10 million people a year could be dying by 2050 due to antimicrobial resistance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"piglets<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Antimicrobial resistance is a natural process but this is accelerated by inappropriate prescribing of antimicrobials, poor infection control practices and the unnecessary use of antimicrobials in agriculture (Barber and Sutherland, 2017<\/a>).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Antimicrobial resistance \u2013 a threat to humanity<\/h1>\n

Resistance to specific antibiotics occurs through mutations that enable the bacteria to withstand an antibiotic treatment. One mechanism is the production of enzymes degrading or altering the antibiotic, rendering them harmless. The elimination of entrances for antibiotics or the development of pumps discharging them is another possibility. A further option is the elimination of the targets the antibiotic would attack.<\/p>\n

So-called “resistance genes” are responsible for resistance. These genes can be transferred from one bacterium to another and also from beneficial bacteria to harmful ones. When antibiotics are used, “normal” bacteria are killed; the resistant ones survive and have all possibilities to proliferate. The Dutch Government has been tracking resistant bacteria in poultry flocks for the last two decades. A clear correlation between antibiotic use and the percentage of resistance could be observed. The good thing: according to the 2020 MARAN report<\/a> (De Greeff et al., 2020), by reducing the use of antibiotics, the occurrence of resistances can be pushed back.<\/p>\n

\"Antimicrobial<\/a><\/p>\n

Figure 1. Sales of antibiotics from 1999 to 2016 and the development of resistances (MARAN report, 2018)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Antibiotic use in animal production<\/h2>\n

In pig production, antibiotics are often used in stressful situations such as weaning or moving. Antibiotics decrease the pathogenic pressure in animals and help them overcome these critical periods. Disadvantage: Antibiotics do not differentiate between good and bad but between susceptible and resistant. Therefore, also the beneficial gut flora gets destroyed through antibiotic treatment, and resistance is spread.<\/p>\n

After the ban of antibiotic growth promoters in Europe in 2006, the US has also made considerable efforts to reduce the use of antibiotics.<\/p>\n

Is performance at risk without antibiotics?<\/h3>\n

When antibiotics are taken out of livestock production, measures in different areas must be implemented to keep performance and profitability high. Without supporting the animals by other means, they will get sick and even die in acute cases. Subclinical disease forms reduce their feed intake, and growth performance consequently decreases. According to literature, losses due to decreased average weight gain can be up to $40 per pig (Hao et al., 2014<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Goal: reducing antibiotics while maintaining performance<\/h2>\n

To support pigs, especially during the afore-mentioned critical periods, alternatives focusing on the maintenance of gut health and, therefore, also overall health must be chosen. This goal can only be achieved by balancing the intestinal flora with reducing pathogenic bacteria occurrence.<\/p>\n

Phytomolecules are an effective solution<\/h3>\n

Phytomolecules are produced by plants to defend themselves against predators or pathogens. Farmers use the substances in animal feeds to support digestion, improve palatability, but also to reduce pathogenic pressure (Baser and Buchbauer, 2010<\/a>).<\/p>\n

In animal feeding, different application forms are available:<\/p>\n