Alternatives to Antibiotic Use: Probiotics for the Gut

Developed countries are not immune from serious food-borne diseases, and the source is often the intestine of cattle, sheep and poultry livestock. Outbreaks of Escherichia coli 0157, most recently killing people in Ontario, and of salmonella and shigella food poisoning especially during summer months, remind us of the seriousness of the problem. Thus, there is renewed interest in alternative approaches to antibiotics to control bacterial diseases, both in humans and veterinary medicine.3-4 Whatley, B. T. 1987. “A ‘Natural’ Answer to Antibiotics.”. In InBooker T. Whatley's Handbook on How to Make $100,000 Farming 25 Acres: With Special Plans for Prospering on 10 to 200 Acres Edited by: DeVault, G. 137–139. Cramer, C. 1990. Healthy Livestock with Fewer Drugs. The New Farm, 12: 23–30. Consumers are believed to be concerned not only about bacterial pathogens being in meat, but also that residues of antibiotics may also be present. The trend to “natural” farming without exposure to chemicals, pesticides and herbicides could be one reason for increased interest in probiotics for livestock farming.