Abstract
In modern, high-density production systems, swine live surrounded by pathogenic microorganisms - bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can cause infectious disease or pathology. Nonetheless, pigs become ill relatively infrequently because they are equipped with a highly evolved immune system that affords protection against infectious microorganisms. This protection can be costly, however, as a number of studies have established that animals reared in unsanitary environments that afford a high level of host-pathogen interaction grow more slowly and consume less feed than animals reared in more sanitary environments (Coates et al., 1963; Roura et al., 1992; Williams et al., 1997b). The view is that nutrients that might have otherwise gone to support growth are redirected to support the host’s defenses against pathogenic microorganisms.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Swine Nutrition, Second Edition |
Publisher | CRC Press |
Pages | 545-562 |
Number of pages | 18 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781420041842 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780849306969 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2000 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- veterinary(all)
- Medicine(all)