To meet the global food demands of the future, livestock production systems have to overcome unprecedented challenges. Meat consumption is expected to double by 2050 with the increase of the world population and with an estimated 30% of the global protein for human consumption being animal-derived. Intensively housed livestock poses major challenges to animal welfare, disease transmission throughout the food chain, food safety, and the evolution of antibiotic resistance. Additionally, the environmental footprint of livestock products is influenced by husbandry systems. Therefore, actions are urgently needed to minimize the negative environmental impacts as well as food safety and animal welfare concerns associated with intensive farming. The microbiome of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) plays an essential role in the production traits and health of domestic livestock, including ruminants, swine, poultry and equines. The GIT microbiota contributes to host metabolism, modulation of the innate immune system, enhancement of intestinal mucosal barrier function, and prevention of pathogen colonization, which are key to host development, performance and health. Livestock animals are also a source of foodborne pathogens and zoonotic agents, imposing risks to food safety and human health. Technological advances in high-throughput sequencing approaches, improvements of microbial genomic databases, and a growing wealth of omic data together with the development of novel approaches to identify microbial signatures and differentially abundant features in microbiome datasets are allowing unparalleled scrutiny at the molecular level of the mechanisms underlying host-microorganism interactions, the origins of foodborne diseases and the associations between microbes colonizing animals, humans and the environment. These advancements also provide unique opportunities for understanding the effects of gut microbiome interventions on the development and physiology of the host and for evaluating emerging microbiome technologies for sustainable livestock production.
This Research Topic aims to explore how microbiome knowledge can be applied to benefit the productive performance and health of food animals. Particularly, the topic seeks to highlight the mechanisms underlying the mode of action of factors that alter the gut microbiota of domestic livestock, research targeting food safety concerns associated with microbiome-related interventions and livestock management systems, and studies exploring the critical roles that the gut microbiome plays in livestock health and production. It should be emphasized, however, that descriptive research (i.e. 16S rRNA profiles) are not suitable for this Research Topic. To be considered for the RT, a clear hypothesis and experimental data (beyond descriptive and pure-predictive data) is required.
In this Research Topic we welcome original research, hypothesis and theory, methods, protocols, and review articles to better understand the factors that contribute to improving the sustainability and efficiency of livestock production and food safety. Manuscripts addressing the following areas of investigation are encouraged:
- Mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of factors that can alter the gut microbiome of livestock, including (but not limited to) prebiotic and probiotics, antibiotics, bioactive substances to improve immunity, bacteriophages, fecal transplants, and diet.
- Predictive tools to evaluate how changes to the gut microbiota translate into health effects.
- Identification and characterization of biomarkers associated with gastrointestinal function and/or production traits.
- Technologies applied to circular bio-economy and sustainable livestock production.
- Theoretical and methodological approaches to understanding the impact of environmental conditions on livestock production and food safety.
- Novel approaches for screening and reducing the prevalence of pathogens across the food chain.
- Alternatives to antibiotics to modulate gut-associated microbial communities of food animals.
To meet the global food demands of the future, livestock production systems have to overcome unprecedented challenges. Meat consumption is expected to double by 2050 with the increase of the world population and with an estimated 30% of the global protein for human consumption being animal-derived. Intensively housed livestock poses major challenges to animal welfare, disease transmission throughout the food chain, food safety, and the evolution of antibiotic resistance. Additionally, the environmental footprint of livestock products is influenced by husbandry systems. Therefore, actions are urgently needed to minimize the negative environmental impacts as well as food safety and animal welfare concerns associated with intensive farming. The microbiome of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) plays an essential role in the production traits and health of domestic livestock, including ruminants, swine, poultry and equines. The GIT microbiota contributes to host metabolism, modulation of the innate immune system, enhancement of intestinal mucosal barrier function, and prevention of pathogen colonization, which are key to host development, performance and health. Livestock animals are also a source of foodborne pathogens and zoonotic agents, imposing risks to food safety and human health. Technological advances in high-throughput sequencing approaches, improvements of microbial genomic databases, and a growing wealth of omic data together with the development of novel approaches to identify microbial signatures and differentially abundant features in microbiome datasets are allowing unparalleled scrutiny at the molecular level of the mechanisms underlying host-microorganism interactions, the origins of foodborne diseases and the associations between microbes colonizing animals, humans and the environment. These advancements also provide unique opportunities for understanding the effects of gut microbiome interventions on the development and physiology of the host and for evaluating emerging microbiome technologies for sustainable livestock production.
This Research Topic aims to explore how microbiome knowledge can be applied to benefit the productive performance and health of food animals. Particularly, the topic seeks to highlight the mechanisms underlying the mode of action of factors that alter the gut microbiota of domestic livestock, research targeting food safety concerns associated with microbiome-related interventions and livestock management systems, and studies exploring the critical roles that the gut microbiome plays in livestock health and production. It should be emphasized, however, that descriptive research (i.e. 16S rRNA profiles) are not suitable for this Research Topic. To be considered for the RT, a clear hypothesis and experimental data (beyond descriptive and pure-predictive data) is required.
In this Research Topic we welcome original research, hypothesis and theory, methods, protocols, and review articles to better understand the factors that contribute to improving the sustainability and efficiency of livestock production and food safety. Manuscripts addressing the following areas of investigation are encouraged:
- Mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of factors that can alter the gut microbiome of livestock, including (but not limited to) prebiotic and probiotics, antibiotics, bioactive substances to improve immunity, bacteriophages, fecal transplants, and diet.
- Predictive tools to evaluate how changes to the gut microbiota translate into health effects.
- Identification and characterization of biomarkers associated with gastrointestinal function and/or production traits.
- Technologies applied to circular bio-economy and sustainable livestock production.
- Theoretical and methodological approaches to understanding the impact of environmental conditions on livestock production and food safety.
- Novel approaches for screening and reducing the prevalence of pathogens across the food chain.
- Alternatives to antibiotics to modulate gut-associated microbial communities of food animals.
