Instant Insights: Antibiotics in Poultry Production

This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on antibiotics in poultry production. The first chapter places the use of antibiotics in poultry production in its historical context to understand the benefits that antibiotics have conferred on animal production to date.

It considers past, present and future use of antibiotics, focusing on the use of bacteriocins and phytochemicals. The second chapter considers the benefits and repercussions of the use of antibiotics in poultry production.

It details the emergence of antibiotic resistance, as well as the potential risks to public health and sustainable farming associated with antibiotic use. The third chapter reviews the identification and use ofprebiotics as a control measure against contamination of poultry products.

The chapter covers both traditional prebiotic compounds such as fructooligosaccharides, and less conventional sources such as guar gum. The final chapter presents the background and current use of Competitive Exclusion (CE) as a preventative measure against Salmonella infections in poultry, by administration ofcultures of intestinal origin to day-old chickens.