The widespread use of antibiotics for growth promotion and disease prevention in the livestock industry is posing food safety and public health concerns. Antimicrobial peptides that are effective in killing a broad spectrum of pathogens without the risks of developing resistance represent promising alternatives to conventional antibiotics and new therapeutic options in disease control and prevention. Two representative porcine antimicrobial peptides studied here possess potent and broad spectrum activities against several important swine and foodborne pathogens. They can be potentially explored as novel antimicrobials in the pig industry to enhance disease resistance, growth performance, pre-harvest pork safety, and subsequent profitability of pork producers without the reliance on conventional antibiotics.
Contact information: Dr. Glenn Zhang, Department of Animal Science, Oklahoma State University, 212 Animal Science Building, Stillwater, OK 74078-6051. Phone: (405) 744-6619. Fax: (405) 744-7390. E-mail: [email protected]
