Antimicrobial Resistance and Medicinal Plant Products as Potential Alternatives to Antibiotics in Animal Husbandry

With increasing problems of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in animal husbandry, quick solutions are needed in order to control the persistence and emergence of drug-resistant microbial pathogens. Medicinal plant resources such as probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, enzymes, phytogenics, and antimicrobial peptides have shown great antimicrobial potentials in recent years and are looked upon as potential alternatives to conventional veterinary antibiotics. The study of these medicinal plant products has confirmed their putative role in targeting the pathogenicity of microbes. In this chapter, we are discussing the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry and related sectors, the overall impact of heavy usage of antibiotics in animal husbandry and on public health, and the emergence of AMR and available alternative options to tackle it with special emphasis on plant resources. Major drug resistance determinants and targeting them with phytochemicals have also been discussed.