Future Challenges in Poultry Industry

The term  food poisoning or food-borne illnesses is commonly used to indicate gastrointestinal complications after consumption of certain food or drink. Millions of people worldwide suffer this complication especially in developing countries. The food borne pathogens include: Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus, Clostridium perfringens.Their transmission to humans through food is mainly of animal origin. Most of the food-borne illnesses are self-limiting but in many instances antibiotics are recommended.
 
Antibiotics have been widely used in animal production for decades. Although some are used therapeutically to improve the health and well-being of animals, most were given to improve growth rate and feed conversion efficiency. Feeding antibiotics to chickens, whether or not they are sick, has boosted their rate of growth however, antibiotic-resistant bacteria build up in the process, and a health crisis results when these are transferred to humans. An important example of antibiotic resistance in humans is that observed in Campylobacter jejuni loss of susceptibility to Quinolones family (Ciprofloxacin). Furthermore, there are increased concerns of consumers about drug residues in the poultry products. The role of antibiotics in the emergence of antibiotic resistance in humans has been questioned and the European Union (EU) decided to ultimately ban (January 1st 2006), the marketing and use of antibiotics as Growth Promoters in feed. Consequently, this ban  led to significantly lowered resistance to various antibiotics. Additionally, It is believed that non-EU producers seeking export markets will be forced to give up Antibiotic Growth Promoters (AGPs) if they wish to sell to the EU and other markets. In the USA, consumers are pushing the poultry industry to rear animals without AGPs . In the meantime, the growing public worry over the use of chemicals and their residues in poultry products, provide enough justification for the search to find alternatives for antibiotics use in poultry.
 
Alternatives for AGPs are only of practical significance when they improve animal performance at levels comparable to AGPs. Numerous alternative products are on the market, and while some products clearly have potential, for others the efficacy is not clear.  Alternatives such as herbal immunopotentiators have this potential; they effectively improve productivity and boost non-specific immunity of birds, and maybe of help to limit the use of chemotherapy. Many plants have beneficial multifunctional properties derived from their bio-active components.  The return-on-investment for alternatives to AGPs will depend on both their biological impact and actual market price. The price of these alternatives is quite variable for enzymes, organic acids, probiotics, or immunopotentiators, depending on dose and type of product.
 
With an ongoing challenge to find alternatives, the ban of AGPs in EU might lead to improved management practices on a global level;  this leaves the question open whether the use of antibiotics in animal production will decrease in the following years worldwide.