Probiotics reduce piglet pathogens

(American Society for Microbiology) Piglets fed probiotic Enterococcus faecium showed reduced numbers of potentially pathogenic Escherichia coli strains in their intestines, according to a team of German researchers. The research is important, because in 2006 the European Union prohibited the feeding of antibiotics to livestock as growth promoters. Therefore, the research team sought to investigate whether probiotics could substitute for antibiotics, by reducing pathogen populations in the intestines. The study was published ahead of print in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news