Abstract
Acquired resistance to in-feed antibiotic growth promoters continues to be an imperative problem in the livestock industries, thereby necessitating continuous pursuit for alternatives. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a critical part of the host's innate immune system and have been documented to have immunomodulatory activity. Increasing research evidence suggests that in contrast to antibiotics, AMPs exert broad-spectrum antibacterial activity in a manner that reduces bacterial acquisition of resistance genes. This review summarizes current knowledge on the protective effects of endogenous (natural) AMPs in the gastrointestinal tract of food animals. Factors limiting the efficacy of these AMPs were also discussed and mitigating strategies were proposed.
Highlights
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), referred to as host defense peptide (HDPs), are tiny cationic peptides that occur naturally in a variety of plants, animals, and microbes [1]
Scientists have classified AMPs into five major families based on their structural compositions and amino sequence: defensins, cathelicidins, hepcidins, histone-derived peptides, and the fish specific piscidins [5, 6]
We propose that effective control of Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) will require the implementation of management strategies that reduce animal stress, and administration of potent endogenous-source AMPs
Summary
Edited by: Michael Kogut, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), United States. Reviewed by: Sidharath Dev Thakur, Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, India Kenneth James Genovese, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), United States. Acquired resistance to in-feed antibiotic growth promoters continues to be an imperative problem in the livestock industries, thereby necessitating continuous pursuit for alternatives. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a critical part of the host’s innate immune system and have been documented to have immunomodulatory activity. Increasing research evidence suggests that in contrast to antibiotics, AMPs exert broad-spectrum antibacterial activity in a manner that reduces bacterial acquisition of resistance genes. This review summarizes current knowledge on the protective effects of endogenous (natural) AMPs in the gastrointestinal tract of food animals.
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