Avian Gut Function in Health and Disease

Book excerpt: This book contains conference proceedings of the 28th Poultry Science Symposium of the World's Poultry Science Association held in Bristol, UK, in September 2005. It focuses on the discontinued use of antibiotics in poultry and on the interactions between the birds, dietary factors and pathogens. The 23 chapters include the history, current use and legislative aspects of feed additives in the European Union; poultry nutrition without antibiotics; early development of the small intestinal function; absorptive function of the small intestine; epithelial structure and function of the hen intestine; immunological development of the gut; molecular approaches to the analysis of the gastrointestinal microbial ecosystems; microbial flora of the chicken digestive tract; mechanisms of pathogen control in the digestive tract; effect of nonstarch polysaccharidases on gastrointestinal function; effects of amino acid and protein supply on nutrition and health; the role of feed processing on gastrointestinal function and health in poultry; the causes, prevention and the role of nutrition in the production of wet litter; influence of gut health and immunity on micronutrient supply; virus-induced gastrointestinal diseases of chickens and turkeys; the digestive tract as an entry point for bacterial infections; Eimeria spp. genetics, protection and antigen identification; developments and constraints of feed acidification in controlling gut pathogens in poultry, with an emphasis on Salmonella spp., competitive exclusion in poultry production; Campylobacter spp. and their bacteriophages in poultry; breeding for disease resistance; The EU perspective on the monitoring of zoonoses and zoonotic agents and the significance of gastrointestinal problems to poultry farmers. This book will be of interest to researchers in food science and veterinary medicine, decision makers and poultry farmers.