Antibiotics are widely used as supplements in swine
feeds, except in the European Union, to protect the
animals against disease and to promote their growth
(Sofos, 2008). However, the indiscriminate use of
antibiotics has caused concern in relation to food safety
and public health regarding the development of antibiotic
resistant bacteria (Witte, 1998), which has
motivated the full ban of these additives from feeds in
the EuropeanUnion beginning in January 2006. There
is a continued need to evaluate alternatives to antibiotics
and their modes of action to facilitate improvements
in nursery pig nutrition (Bhandari et al., 2008).