ABSTRACT
In recent years, there has been renewed interest in health promotion of livestock by the incorporation of probiotic bacteria in their feed, mainly to counteract harmful bacteria in gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Among various microbes, the most widely used probiotics belong to the group of Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), including Lactobacillus. However, owing to the inability to form spores, utilization of Lactobacillus as a probiotic is limited of being used as the therapeutic prophylaxis alone rather than being a digestion enhancer. Besides, novel and more specific strains of probiotic microbes are being sought. Additionally, the use of actinobacteria, especially Streptomyces, as probiotics has been recently reported for disease management and health improvement of aquatic animals. However, there is a scarcity of information regarding the efficacy and beneficial effects of actinobacterial probionts in terrestrial livestock. In this view, this chapter enlists the novel actinobacterial strains from the feces of healthy birds, chickens, and goats, and their suitability as probiotics for the improvement of livestock production.
