Probióticos en la producción animal: mecanismos de acción y efectos beneficiosos para la ganadería

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the use of probiotics in animal production, their action mechanisms and beneficial effects for animal husbandry. Materials and Methods: An exhaustive bibliographic review was carried out. More than 80 publications related to the topic of probiotics in animal feeding were consulted. The scientific databases Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Latindex and SciELO were used. Searches were performed on the basis of keywords related to the topic of study. To carry out this study, the selected papers were critically analyzed and relevant data were extracted. Results: The analysis indicated that the indiscriminate use of growth-promoting antibiotics in animal husbandry induces residual microbial resistance and increases the risk of transmission of this resistance to human beings. Thus, probiotics appear as an alternative for improving animal productivity without adverse effects. They act as modulators of the intestinal biota, improve the immunological system and productive indicators and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Conclusions: Probiotics increase animal productivity by improving the immunological system, digestion and nutrient absorption, as well as the intestinal microbiota. In addition, they decrease health problems, for which they constitute a viable alternative to improve the efficiency of animal husbandry systems in different animal species, including monogastric ones and ruminants. However, for them to become an accepted option used in animal husbandry, it is necessary to continue researching and promoting their application.

Keywords

• additives
• antibiotics
• swine
• chickens
• ruminants