In the context of disease pathogenesis, it has been observed that after inadequate administration of antibiotics, animals become more susceptible to intestinal colonization and organ invasion by enteropathogens, these could be related to changes caused in the gastrointestinal microbial community. Therefore, we must reconsider the negative consequences that disruption of the microbiome has in the biology of metazoans (dysbacteriosis). Alternations of the intestinal microbiota composition in animals can be caused by multiple factors, including the misuse of antibiotics, having as a result a negative impact on the development and function of the immune, endocrine, nervous, and digestive systems. For this reason, social concerns regarding the development of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms have resulted in an urgent necessity to find feasible alternatives to maintain animal health and performance without the use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGP), in order to sustain livestock production as an economically viable source of food for human consumption. Hence, research about AGP alternatives such as probiotics, prebiotics, phytochemicals, organic acids, enzymes, and vaccines has become a priority for many scientists around the world.
The aim of this Special Issue is to publish high quality papers concerning poultry nutrition and the interrelations between nutrition, metabolism, microbiota and the health of poultry. Therefore, I invite submissions of recent findings, as original research or reviews, on poultry nutrition, including, but not limited to, the following areas: the effect of feeding on poultry meat end egg quality; nutrient requirements of poultry; the use of functional feed additives to improve gut health and immune status; microbiota; nutraceuticals; soybean meal replacers as alternative sources of protein for poultry; the effects of feeding poultry on environmental impacts; the use of feed/food by-products in poultry diet; and feed technology.
Good animal health is of great importance for the efficient production of animal-derived foods at a low cost. The demand for solutions for animal health maintenance and disease prevention is a major global challenge in animal production, food safety, and public health. The animal body has a complete self-defense system, including oxidation and anti-oxidation balance, immune activation and suppression balance, pro- and anti-inflammatory balance, which can help the host against various factors that endanger normal life activities. Nowadays, the strategy of nutrition-based health has become an increasingly important solution for animal health maintenance and disease prevention. Nutrients (carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins, et al.) and nutricines (carotenoids, enzymes, fatty acids, flavors, oligosaccharides, organic acids, phospholipids, polyphenols, et al.) are two major categories of components in feeds. Nutricines and some derivatives of nutrients (vitamin derivatives, amino acid derivatives, et al.) have been intensively studied in animal and cell culture models, and their roles in animal health maintenance and disease prevention are intimately known.
The second edition of Avian Immunology provides an up-to-date overview of the current knowledge of avian immunology. From the ontogeny of the avian immune system to practical application in vaccinology, the book encompasses all aspects of innate and adaptive immunity in chickens. In addition, chapters are devoted to the immunology of other commercially important species such as turkeys and ducks, and to ecoimmunology summarizing the knowledge of immune responses in free-living birds often in relation to reproductive success. The book contains a detailed description of the avian innate immune system, encompassing the mucosal, enteric, respiratory and reproductive systems. The diseases and disorders it covers include immunodepressive diseases and immune evasion, autoimmune diseases, and tumors of the immune system. Practical aspects of vaccination are examined as well. Extensive appendices summarize resources for scientists including cell lines, inbred chicken lines, cytokines, chemokines, and monoclonal antibodies. The world-wide importance of poultry protein for the human diet, as well as the threat of avian influenza pandemics like H5N1 and heavy reliance on vaccination to protect commercial flocks makes this book a vital resource. This book provides crucial information not only for poultry health professionals and avian biologists, but also for comparative and veterinary immunologists, graduate students and veterinary students with an interest in avian immunology. - With contributions from 33 of the foremost international experts in the field, this book provides the most up-to-date review of avian immunology so far - Contains a detailed description of the avian innate immune system reviewing constitutive barriers, chemical and cellular responses; it includes a comprehensive review of avian Toll-like receptors - Contains a wide-ranging review of the "ecoimmunology" of free-living avian species, as applied to studies of population dynamics, and reviews methods and resources available for carrying out such research
This unique work compiles the latest knowledge around veterinary nutraceuticals, commonly referred to as dietary supplements, from ingredients to final products in a single source. More than sixty chapters organized in seven sections collate all related aspects of nutraceutical research in animal health and disease, among them many novel topics: common nutraceutical ingredients (Section-I), prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, enzymes and antibacterial alternatives (Section-II), applications of nutraceuticals in prevention and treatment of various diseases such as arthritis, periodontitis, diabetes, cognitive dysfunctions, mastitis, wounds, immune disorders, and cancer (Section-III), utilization of nutraceuticals in specific animal species (Section-IV), safety and toxicity evaluation of nutraceuticals and functional foods (Section-V), recent trends in nutraceutical research and product development (Section-VI), as well as regulatory aspects for nutraceuticals (Section-VII). The future of nutraceuticals and functional foods in veterinary medicine seems bright, as novel nutraceuticals will emerge and new uses of old agents will be discovered. International contributors to this book cover a variety of specialties in veterinary medicine, pharmacology, pharmacognosy, toxicology, chemistry, medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, nutrition, drug development, regulatory frameworks, and the nutraceutical industry. This is a highly informative and carefully presented book, providing scientific insight for academia, veterinarians, governmental and regulatory agencies with an interest in animal nutrition, complementary veterinary medicine, nutraceutical product development and research.