Gastrointestinal diseases of poultry: causes and nutritional strategies for prevention and control

Description

Gastrointestinal health plays a critical role in ensuring the overall health and productivity of livestock, including poultry. In this regard, antimicrobial growth promoters (AGP) have been used to maintain and promote gastrointestinal health. With the industrial strategy of gradual phasing out of AGP in poultry production, the incidence of enteric diseases, including necrotic enteritis, is expected to rise. Since intestinal health forms an integral part of a sustainable food animal production system, it is important to understand the etiological factors associated with gastrointestinal diseases as well as the strategies for disease prevention and control. In this chapter, important enteric diseases and disorders will be discussed, briefly highlighting their etiology followed by possible nutritional interventions, including feed additives such as plant-derived extracts, prebiotics, probiotics and organic acids, as possible alternatives to AGPs for disease control.

Table of contents

1 Introduction 2 Gastrointestinal (GI) tract diseases 3 Nutritional interventions 4 Conclusion and future trends 5 Where to look for further information 6 References