Reducing the risk of food borne pathogens (Campylobacter) in pre-slaughter pigs via short-time feeding with prebiotics

Summary

Reducing the presence of human pathogens like Campylobacter and Salmonella (zoonoses) in their animal hosts is important to enhance food safety of products of animal origin. Campylobacter is considered to be a commensal in the gastrointestinal tract of pigs due to its typically high prevalence. Consequently, it is difficult to control Campylobacter in pigs at farm level by usual hygienic measures, especially in open systems of organic pig production (Jensen et al 2006). However, another potential means to control pathogens is inclusion of non-digestible oligosaccharides (prebiotics) in the diet. For example, prebiotics proofed successful in control of the intestinal disease swine dysentery caused by the spirochaete Brachyspira hyodysenteriae (Molbak et al. 2007)