Administration of Antimicrobials and Resistance in Food-Producing Rabbits: Dietary Supplements as Potential Alternatives

The food-producing rabbits, the fourth alternative of animal protein sources for human consumption, are an industry of great importance in the world, in particular in the largest rabbit meat producers like China, North Korea, Egypt, and Italy. However, the antimicrobial use in this sector is highly relative to other food-producing animals because of a lack of welfare legislation and enteric disease outbreaks in the farm rabbits, leading to high economic losses. Over the years, several strategies were implemented to improve welfare, health, and food safety in farmed rabbits and, consequently, reduce the cost of production and antimicrobial use. Very few antibiotics are approved for use in rabbits, although antibiotic-resistant bacteria detected in food-producing rabbits or their products have been reported. However, the knowledge of antimicrobial resistance in rabbits is scarce. Alternatives to mitigate antibiotic usage, such as diet supplementation with probiotics, organic acids, and postbiotics, have been tested in the rabbit industry, although with sometimes contradictory results. For these reasons, this review aimed to summarize the trend of antimicrobial use in farm rabbits and the role of antimicrobial resistance in these animals, as well as potential diet alternatives to antibiotic use.