COMPARISON OF GUT AND LUNG MICROBIOMES OF HENS RAISED IN CONVENTIONAL AND CAGE-FREE HOUSES TO DETERMINE DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY

Food production must increase to meet demands for animal protein, for which poultry is projected to increase the most. The chicken egg industry is transitioning from conventional to cage-free production systems. However, challenges exist in cage-free systems e.g., increased disease and reduced production. In animals, the microbiota affects host health, production, and even behavior. A balanced host microbial community is crucial to maximizing health, welfare, and performance of food-producing animals, including poultry. Because chicken lungs and gut are often a primary barrier between pathogen and host, factors that affect the microbiota in these locations may influence disease resistance and productivity. The primary objectives of this study were to characterize the lung and gut microbiome of hens raised in conventional and cage-free environments.

为满足动物蛋白的市场需求，食品生产规模亟需扩张，其中家禽产业的增长预期最为显著。蛋鸡产业正从传统笼养模式向无笼养殖生产体系转型。然而无笼养殖体系亦面临诸多挑战，例如疫病发生率升高与生产性能下降。在动物机体内，微生物群（microbiota）可影响宿主健康、生产性能乃至行为模式。对于包括家禽在内的食用畜禽而言，宿主微生物群落的稳态平衡，对最大化其健康水平、福利状况与生产效能至关重要。由于鸡的肺部与肠道通常是病原体与宿主之间的首要屏障，因此影响这些部位微生物群的因素，可能会对机体的抗病能力与生产效率产生影响。本研究的核心目标，是对传统笼养与无笼养殖环境下饲养的蛋鸡，其肺部与肠道微生物组进行特征解析。