April 19, 2011

An USDA study reveals the possibility of a dietary yeast extract that could be an effective alternative to antibiotics for poultry producers.

Microbiologist Gerry Huff with USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and her colleagues have been studying the effects of yeast extract as an immune stimulant and alternative to antibiotics in conventional turkeys.

Non-pharmaceutical remedies and preventatives are particularly needed for organic poultry production, according to Huff, who works in the ARS Poultry Production and Product Safety Research Unit (PPPSRU) in Fayetteville.

Yeast extracts help boost the immune system's ability to kill bacteria, but there is also a downside.

According to Huff, yeast ramps up certain aspects of the immune response, but body weight may be decreased in some birds. That's because the energy normally used for growth is redirected toward the immune system.

The researchers are looking for a balance between enhancing immune response and maintaining growth.

Organic poultry farms can only use compounds on the National List of allowed substances for organic production. Yeast extract is on that list.

Alternatives to antibiotics are also needed for conventional poultry production, since regulations for the usage of antibiotics are being tightened in response to the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in pathogens.