The response of cage-reared cockerels to dietary medication with growth promoters. I. Size and consistency of the response

Obesity: A New Adverse Effect of Antibiotics?

Since the introduction of antibiotics, they have been used freely, with their prescription occurring almost always when they were not necessary. The other major form of contact between humans and antibiotics, now unintentionally, is with the large amount of these drugs in the environment and in our food. The relationship between antibiotic use and the development of obesity has become increasingly evident and apparent in humans, with some authors clearly establishing the relationship between the large-scale use of antibiotics in the past 70 years and the “epidemic” of obesity that has occurred in parallel, almost as an adverse epidemiological effect. In the research effort entertained herein, a correlation between the use and abuse of antibiotics and the onset of obesity was investigated.

Host-targeted approaches to managing animal health: old problems and new tools

Our fellow medical and regulatory scientists question the animal producer's dependence on antibiotics and antimicrobial chemicals in the production of animal products. Retail distributors and consumers are putting even more pressure on the animal industry to find new ways to produce meat without antibiotics and chemicals. In addition, federal funding agencies are increasingly pressuring researchers to conduct science that has application. In the review that follows, we outline our approach to finding novel ways to improve animal performance and health. We use a strict set of guidelines in our applied research as follows: (1) Does the work have value to society? (2) Does our team have the skills to innovate in the field? (3) Is the product we produce commercially cost-effective? (4) Are there any reasons why the general consumer will reject the technology? (5) Is it safe for the animal, consumer, and the environment? Within this framework, we describe 4 areas of research that have produced useful products, areas that we hope other scientists will likewise explore and innovate such as (1) methods to detect infection in herds and flocks, (2) methods to control systemic and mucosal inflammation, (3) improvements to intestinal barrier function, and (4) methods to strategically potentiate immune defense. We recognize that others are working in these areas, using different strategies, but believe our examples will illustrate the vast opportunity for research and innovation in a world without antibiotics. Animal scientists have been given a new challenge that may help shape the future of both animal and human medicine.

Uso de antimicrobianos como promotores de crescimento e resistência em isolados de Escherichia coli e de Enterobacteriaceae lactose-negativa da microflora fecal de frangos de corte

Foram coletadas amostras de fezes de aves durante um ciclo de criação (45 dias) e analisadas quantitativamente quanto à presença de Escherichia coli e de Enterobacteriaceae lactose-negativa (ELN). As contagens de colônias lactose-positivas e negativas foram realizadas em placas de ágar MacConkey e os isolados foram submetidos ao teste de susceptibilidade aos antimicrobianos in vitro, pela técnica de difusão em gel. Os números desses microrganismos estabilizaram-se na faixa de 10(6) UFC/g de fezes para E. coli, e de 10(5) UFC/g de fezes para ELN. A resistência e a multirresistência aos antimicrobianos de isolados de E. coli foram observadas em 98,6% e 65,7%, e nos de ELN em 98,1% e 84,6%, respectivamente. Os espectros de resistência de E. coli e ELN foram: 52 e 57% ao cloranfenicol, 51 e 67% à cefalotina, 48 e 84% à tetraciclina, 45 e 74% ao ácido nalidíxico, 42 e 57% à ampicilina, 28 e 55% a sulfametoxazol + trimetoprim e 26 e 22% à gentamicina, respectivamente. O estudo demonstrou que os frangos de corte podem funcionar como reservatórios de genes de resistência a antibióticos importantes em medicina veterinária e humana.

Effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus and zinc bacitracin as dietary additives for broiler chickens

The influence of Lactobacillus acidophilus and zinc bacitracin alone, or in combination, on the growth of broiler chickens was monitored over a period of 8 weeks. 2. The maximum improvement in body weight over the controls was 10.8% with both additives in the diet but the use of bacitracin alone induced a 9.1% improvement. 3. Food conversion was reduced by zinc bacitracin alone but was improved by the use of L. acidophilus and bacitracin in combination. 4. The combination treatment increased abdominal fat deposition in the female chickens by 31%.

Broiler chick growth response to antibiotics, 1981-1982

A study of the growth-promoting effects of penicillin, oxytetracycline, lincomycin, bambermycin , and tylan was made over a 2-year period involving 2030 broiler chicks in 11 experiments. The laboratory used for this study has been subjected to the continuous use of low level dietary antibiotics for over 30 years. Results show that growth promotion by penicillin, oxytetracycline, and lincomycin were still significant (P less than .01). The effect of tylan was also significant (P less than .05). The antibiotics tended to promote better growth effects in chicks from young breeder hens. Significant growth improvement by antibiotics was observed in nutritionally adequate diets regardless of the presence or absence of soybean meal and excesses of certain vitamins and minerals.

The interaction of food additives and protein content in broiler diets

No evidence was found for an interaction between dietary crude protein content and the presence or absence of two proprietary food additives used as sources of avoparcin and zinc bacitracin. The food additives had a similar effect in increasing rate of growth resulting in significant improvements of about 2% in the food conversion ratios.