Applications of “Omics” Technologies to Study Gut Health in Poultry

Abstract

The US poultry industry is one of the most successful sectors in agriculture supplying products to consumers globally. The poultry industry implements good management practices, improved genetic selection, and judicious nutritional strategies to provide consumers with wholesome, nutritious, and safe poultry products. With recent advancements in next-generation “omics” technology, the chicken gut has become the focus of extensive research for improving poultry productivity and resistance against various enteric pathogens. Systems biology approaches are now able to describe poultry gut microbiota at both genetic and functional levels. At present, limited information is known about avian microbiome as it relates to poultry health and safety; however, extensive research efforts are underway to delineate the effect of poultry gut microbiota on various production parameters, disease resistance, and overall health of birds. In addition, the effects of various intrinsic and extrinsic factors that modulate the gut microbiome are being studied. This chapter summarizes the current state of knowledge and novel research that are using various omics approaches to study gut health in poultry.