Fighting disease without antibiotics
Methods being investigated which, if effective, will mean big health benefits for both intensively farmed poultry and those in your backyard.
Scientists have found that a dietary yeast extract has the potential as a non-antibiotic for decreasing the level of pathogens (disease-causing organisms) in organically-reared poultry. The US Department of Agriculture's Research Service is studying the effects of the yeast extract as an immune stimulant and as an alternative to antibiotics in organic poultry production.
It's believed the yeast extract helps boost a bird's immune system and its ability to kill bacteria. The downside appears to be that the bird's bodyweight might be decreased at the same time as the energy normally used for growth is redirected towards the immune system.
The diseases of importance that are being targeted are salmonella and campylobacter in turkey production, although the research work is being done on Japanese quail for economic reasons.
There have been products of a similar nature available in NZ for a few years. Bio-Mos, marketed by Alltech, is made up of dietary mannan oligosaccharides (MOS) which are simple sugar molecules that bind to the bacteria, particularly the salmonella family and campylobacter in the gut. They can then be excreted from the body before they can attach themselves to the gut and cause disease. Bio-Mos also aids recovery from gut damage following invasion by coccidiosis, a common parasite.
MOS are widely used in animal feeds to improve gastro-intestinal health and are obtained from cell walls of the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Another yeast product (Yea-sacc) stimulates the fibre-digesting bacteria in a ruminant animal, increasing feed efficiency.
This research is of great benefit for the commercial farmer in the quest for products which can aid animal health without compromising human health (by building resistance to useful antibiotics).
It could also lead to more economical production and better welfare of organically-reared livestock, and highlights the benefit of all sorts of natural products that can be used on a commercial scale.
