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CHAMPAIGN, IL (Dec. 20, 2011) – The emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens in humans is driving efforts to find commercially viable substitutes for antibiotics frequently used in the production of food animals, including poultry. While much progress has been made, much work remains, according to a recent article in Poultry Science. The article, “Historic Perspective: Prebiotics, Probiotics, and other Alternatives to Antibiotics” [2011 Poultry Science 90:2663–2669; doi: 10.3382/ps.2010-01030], also helps explain key differences between and among the often confusing variety of alternatives currently being examined. The paper was originally presented by its author, Dr. Michael Hume, a researcher at the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, in College Station, Texas, at a PSA symposium on the potential impact of reduced antibiotic use and the roles of alternatives to antibiotics in antibiotic-free broiler production...read more