Antibiotic alternatives: the substitution of antibiotics in animal husbandry?

It is a common practice for decades to use of sub-therapeutic dose of antibiotics in food-animal feeds to prevent animals from diseases and to improve production performance in modern animal husbandry. In the meantime, concerns over the increasing emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria due to the unreasonable use of antibiotics and an appearance of less novelty antibiotics have prompted efforts to develop so-called alternatives to antibiotics. Whether or not the alternatives could really replace antibiotics remains a controversial issue. This review summarizes recent development and perspectives of alternatives to antibiotics. The mechanism of actions, applications, and prospectives of the alternatives…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 31302140, 31272614
• FR
  Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities

  Awards: 2013QC005, 2013QC002