In recent years, livestock producers have been under considerable pressure from consumer groups to eliminate the use of antimicrobials in livestock production due to a growing concern that this common production practice may lead to an increase in thenumber of antibiotic-resistant human pathogens. Due to these rising concerns, several European countries have already restricted the use of antimicrobials in livestock production systems. And, if the current trend continues, U.S. producers could be forced to eliminate the use of antimicrobial agents in livestock production in the future. If antimicrobials are removed from livestock production, it will be imperative that US producers have proven non-antimicrobial alternatives readily available to them if the livestock industry is to remain viable in the US. Therefore, opportunities exist for the evaluation of non-nutrient additives as immunomodulators in livestock diets. To this end, we have conducted two research trials to evaluate non-nutrient additives as potential modulators of both the innate and adaptive immune responses in nursery pigs.
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