Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week 2024 / III – Animal nutrition

The use of antibiotics in the livestock sector is a strictly regulated (and necessary) practice in Europe to treat animals in cases of bacterial infection. The global goal is to reduce their administration to minimize the emergence of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms, which can pose a public health risk.
At the Animal Nutrition Program – IRTA, we investigate possible alternatives to antibiotics as preventive tools against diseases. Among the alternatives studied, we have worked with probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes, and plant extracts to evaluate their immunomodulatory capacity in animals, as well as the changes they may induce in their gut microbiota. The Holofood and Immunofeed projects aimed to reduce the prevalence of Salmonella enterica Typhimurium or Campylobacter jejuni in chickens, contributing to improved food safety in poultry products. Meanwhile, the Kappa project studied the effect of plant extracts (flavonoids) that help reduce the incidence of Streptococcus suis during the weaning phase of piglets, improving their health and welfare.
In addition to additives, we also investigate the immunomodulatory potential of new ingredients such as animal plasma, fatty acids, insect meal, mushrooms, etc., which can increase animals’ resilience to diseases ( projects such as GreenBlueCircle, Ateneaa, Fetal Programming, Altemo, ThriveUpPigs, LonGilt, SowCaps…).