Program 4: Early gut microbiota

Program Overview

Program aim

To run a set of broiler trials on a vegetarian diet controlling early gut colonisation to allow early access and competitive advantage to beneficial bacteria and confirm the treatment effectiveness using leaky gut/diarrhea challenge with a focus on gizzard, ileum and cecum colonisation and function improvement, and target Treg cells and inflammation regulation.

Program focus

The Early gut microbiota program will:

• Reduce pathogen’s access to the bird’s gastrointestinal tract (GIT) during the critical time of gut colonisation.
• Control in-feed pathogens during the gut colonisation.
• Focus on designing microbial community towards improved function rather than taxonomy that cannot be defined and thus precisely controlled.
• Design the microbial community on vegetarian feed for high relevance to the Australian industry.
• Ensure resistance to the leaky gut to warrant a reduction of ammonia, odour and wet litter.
• Expand the focus on the designer microbiome to include the crop, gizzard and proventriculus.
• Optimise the interventions for improved immune function.

Meet the program team