The utilization of probiotic bacterial strains for monogastric animals within the European Union

The microbiota of the hindgut plays a very important role in maintaining the state of health of the gastrointestinal tract and, generally speaking, of the host. The utilization of specific dietary supplements containing viable probiotic bacteria might positively influence composition and metabolism of the intestinal microbial population. In farm animals, the use of probiotics has been reported to improve the immune system efficiency, increase resistance against enteropathogenic bacteria, and improve feed utilization and growth performance. When administered to companion animals such as dogs and cats, probiotics may stimulate the immune system and improve gastrointestinal health. In Europe, probiotics are classified as zootechnical feed additives and can be marketed only after specific authorization. Today, building a registration dossier to prove the safety and efficacy of a probiotic strain is very expensive and time-consuming. As a consequence, only a few strains (mainly Gram-positive bacteria belonging to the types Bacillus, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus or Pediococcus, and certain yeast strains) are present on the European market as feed additives to be used in animal nutrition. This paper presents an overview of the scientific literature dealing with the use of probiotics both in farm and companion animals.