ABSTRACT
This collection summarises current research on the composition and function of the gastrointestinal tract in poultry, the factors that affect its function, and nutritional strategies to optimise poultry nutrition, health and environmental impact.
Chapters summarise advances in sequencing and omics technologies to understand gut function, current understanding of the gut microbiota, the development of the gut microbiome over the life of the bird, and gut function in nutrient processing and immune response. The book the reviews what we know about factors affecting gut function and health, including gastrointestinal diseases, the interaction between pathogens and the gut as well the impact of antibiotics. The final group of chapters discuss current research on the effectiveness of feed additives in optimising gut health, including probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, antimicrobials, essential oils and other botanicals as well as cereal grains.
Part 1: Understanding the gastrointestinal tract 1. Overview: commercial poultry production and gut function – historical perspective 2. Advances in sequence technologies for generating poultry gut microbiome data 3. Omics technologies for connecting host responses with poultry gut function 4. Understanding gut microbiota in poultry 5. In ovo development of the chicken gut microbiome and impact on later gut function 6. The development of the gut microbiome post in ovo in poultry 7. Understanding gut function in poultry: nutrient processing 8. Understanding gut function in poultry: immune function Part 2: Factors that impact the gastrointestinal tract and different types of birds 9. Genetics and other factors affecting gut development and function in poultry 10. Antibiotics and gut function: historical and current perspectives 11. Gastrointestinal diseases of poultry 12. The interaction between gut microbiota and pathogens 13. The poultry gut and layer hens 14. The poultry gut and alternative antibiotic-free poultry production systems Part 3: Feed additives and gut health modulation 15. Controlling pathogens in the poultry gut 16. The role of probiotics in optimising gut function in poultry 17. The role of prebiotics in optimising gut function in poultry 18. The role of synbiotics in optimising gut function in poultry 19. The role of antimicrobials in optimising gut function in poultry 20. The role of essential oils and other botanicals in optimising gut function in poultry 21. The role of specific cereal grain dietary components (brans and other fractions) on poultry gut function
