Special Issue "Plant-Based Alternatives to Antimicrobial in Animal Feed"
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 26 November 2021.
Special Issue Editors
Interests: alternatives to antimicrobials; innovative additives; plant-based edible vaccines; animal nutrition; medical molecular farming
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Interests: bioactive compounds; health effects of animal-derived foods; functional feed/food; animal nutrition; human nutrition
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The increase of antimicrobial resistance, a major threat at a global scale, has attracted attention from researchers, particularly in studies on the development of effective alternatives to antimicrobials. In this scenario, plants represent a relevant source of bioactive and functional compounds eliciting beneficial health effects in humans and animals, recognized also in traditional medicine in different countries. Substances of plant-origin, included in the animal diets, can exert antimicrobial effects, directly or indirectly, through different mechanisms of action and can be considered a valid strategy for the control of the diseases or to guarantee the health status of animals.
This Special Issue will publish original research papers and review articles concerning innovation in animal nutrition through the use of sustainable plant-based alternatives to antimicrobials in feed. The interrelations between nutrition, health and the environment will also be covered with both in vitro and in vivo studies.
Areas of interest include phytochemicals, sustainability, alternatives to antimicrobials, feed additives, in vivo, or in vitro effects of plant-based feed.
We invite original research papers and review articles addressing aspects of the use of plant-based alternatives to antimicrobials as animal feed ingredients in farm animals.
Prof. Luciana Rossi
Dr. Carlotta Giromini
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- bioactive compounds
- plant extract
- antimicrobial
- feed additives
- innovation
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: Effectiveness of two plant-based in-feed additives against an Escherichia coli K88 oral challenge in weaned piglets
Authors: Daniel Montoya1, Matilde D’Angelo1, Susana Ma Martín-Orúe1,*, Agustina Rodríguez-Sorrento1, Mireia Saladrigas-García1, Coralie Araujo2, Thibaut Chabrillat2, Sylvain Kerros2, Lorena Castillejos Velázqu
Affiliation: Animal Nutrition and Welfare Service (SNIBA), Animal and Food Science Department, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain; [email protected]; [email protected]
2 Phytosynthese, 57 avenue Jean Jaurès, 63200 Mozac, France.; [email protected]
* Correspondence: [email protected] ; Tel.: +34-93581-1504
Abstract: Abstract: Botanic bioactive compounds are able to improve animal health, welfare and performance, representing an alternative to antibiotic use in pig production. The current study aims to evaluate the efficacy of two plant based feed supplementations to fight colibacillosis in weaned piglets by using an experimental model of disease. A total of 96 male piglets were allocated into 32 pens and assigned to 4 diets: a non-supplemented control diet (T1) or supplemented with ZnO (2500 ppm) (T2), or two different plant supplements: T3 (1 kg/t, based on essential oils) and T4 (T3 + 1.5 kg/t of non-volatile compounds). After one week of adaptation, animals were challenged with ETEC K88 (1x109 CFU) and 8 days post inoculation (PI) one animal per pen euthanized for digesta content and tissue sampling. Animal performance, clinical signs, microbial analysis, inflammatory response, intestinal morphology and gene expression by using the OpenArray® technology were assessed. The inclusion of ZnO showed a significant improvement in the average daily gain (ADG) at day 4 PI showing T3 and T4 intermediate values (96, 249, 170, 157 g/d for T1, T2, T3 and T4 respectively, P = 0.035). Regarding effects on gut microbiota, faecal lactobacilli were 2 log units higher with T3 and T4 compared to ZnO (7.55, 6.26, 8.71, 8.27 cfu/g FM, P= 0.0007). T3 also increased significantly the lactobacilli:coliforms ratio (P = 0.002). Regarding inflammatory response, T4 was associated with a trend for a decrease in the serological levels of Pig-MAP (P = 0.07), but no differences were found in TNF- between treatments. Ileal histomorphology revealed significant increases in the villus:crypt ratio with T4 compared to control diet, similarly to ZnO (1.49, 1.90, 1.73 and 1.84 at day 8PI, P = 0.009). Gene expression studies showed that T3 promoted a down-regulation of HSPA4 (heat shock protein) compared to control (P=0.056) and T4 an up-regulation of REG3G (codifying for an antimicrobial peptide via stimulation of toll-like receptors (TLRs)) (P=0.055).
In conclusion, both supplementations could enhance animal response in the face of the ETEC K88 challenge by different modes of action. Whereas T3 seems to improve gut microbiota balance with increases in the fecal lactobacilli:coliforms ratio, T4 could had better controlled the pathogen and the inflammatory response, suggested by the up-regulation of the REG3 gene, a trend for reduction in serum Pig-MAP and an improved villus:crypt ratio.