Environmental Effects on Gut Health in Production Animals

Optimal gut health is of vital importance to the performance of production animals (fish, poultry, swine, cattle). Gut health is key to making the productivity, well-being and sustainability of animal production more efficient. Directly and indirectly, the environment is a powerful regulator of gastrointestinal physiology that decisively influences the functional state of the animal. Production animals reared under conventional conditions of intensive production are subjected to various exogenous and endogenous sources of environmental factors that can impact gut health. Exogenous factors are environmental stressors derived from external sources connected with diet, infectious disease, mycotoxin exposure, climate (heat and cold), management practices, biosecurity level, housing, litter, feed access, quality, and components. Endogenous factors are host-related such as age, sex, genetics, and breed or are made within the host’s body, such as hormones and neurotransmitters, in response to a stimulus, stressor, or trigger. Endogenous factors serve to communicate signals both locally and distantly in the body. Understanding the interactions between the diverse environmental factors and the different physiological characteristics of the gastrointestinal tract allows us to advance the understanding of gut health and the ability to regulate animal production. The spirit of this book is to critically address how the interactions of different environmental stressors, both internal and external, influence the various functions of the gastrointestinal system of production animals and to be able to use the information to advance scientific research as well as improve the use of the productive tools available.

Michael H. Kogut (Ph.D.) is a Research Microbiologist and Lead Scientist of the Project Plan entitled, “Identification of the Ecological Niches and Development of Intervention Strategies to Reduce Pathogenic Foodborne Pathogens in Poultry” managed within the Food and Feed Safety Research Unit at the Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center, College Station, Texas. His educational background includes a B.S. in Biological Sciences from the State University College at Buffalo, a M.S. in Veterinary Sciences from the Pennsylvania State University, a Ph.D. in Poultry Science from the University of Georgia and postdoctoral experience at the University of South Alabama School of Medicine. Dr. Kogut has published over 220 peer-reviewed scientific papers, 19 book chapters, has received 5 patents, and has made over 100 presentations to national and international scientific conferences and symposia. Dr. Kogut is a Fellow of the Poultry Science Association and was the recipient of 2017 Zoetis Fundamental Science Award from the Poultry Science Association. Dr. Kogut is currently a member of the CABI Journal Editorial Advisory Board, the Chief Specialty Editor of Frontiers in Veterinary Infectious Diseases and the Editor-in-Chief of Poultry Science.
Mariano E. Fernández-Miyakawa (Ph.D.) is a molecular biologist in the field of physiopathology of infectious diseases. His activity is specific in the study of pathogenesis of bacterial diseases and the prevention and control of those diseases. His educational background includes a graduate degree in Biological Sciences. Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Doctor in Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires and postdoctoral experience at the University of California at Davis. His professional and scientific activity comprises more than 100 scientific publications and similar number of presentations to in national and international technical scientific meetings. The current appointments are Coordinator of the Antimicrobial Resistance and Alternatives Program and Vice Director of the Institute of Veterinary Pathobiology at the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) in Argentina, Principal Researcher of the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina, and official representative member at the board of the National Commission for the Control of the Antimicrobial Resistance in Argentina. He is also section editor at Poultry Science Journal, Frontiers in Physiology and Animals and member of the CABI Journal Editorial Advisory Board. He provides consultancy and advisory services for animal feed and health sector.