By Cheryl Lake Lactobacillus Acidophilus is a source of a viable live, naturally occurring micro organism, which is found predominant in the digestive system of man and all warm blooded animals. Stress conditions such as new arrivals , molting, breeding, feeding young, growth, preparation for flight, illness and injury, along with contaminated feed and water, food soured in the crop, chlorinated water, antifungal and antibiotic therapy, can all cause a great imbalance of various types of micro-organisms in the crop and intestine tract, leaving birds susceptible to digestive problems. A birds death may result from organ failure, not caused by the initial microbial imbalance, but from the secondary invasion of a disease causing micro-organism through the intestinal barrier. Once a pathogenic organism penetrates the intestinal barrier, an antifungal or antibiotic is most likely a necessity to improve the animals condition.
Numerous factors influence the interactions among intestinal micro-organisms and their hosts.
The cumulative effect of these interactions control the composition and metabolic activity of this gut microflora. There is evidence indicating that certain micro-organisms, particularly the lactobacilli, can help maintain such favorable microbial profile in the gut either through being part of the natural microflora or as a dietary supplement. As a part of the natural flora, they can exert healthful effects through antibiotic and organic acid production, lowering of pH and oxidation potential, competitive antagonism, and bile deconjugation. As a dietary supplement, they have a positive impact on growth, are functional in preventive and curative treatments as well as being sources of certain enzymes essential for metabolism of some nutrients. There generally exists two kinds of microbial flora in the digestive tract.