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Animals
Special Issues
Precision Domestic Animal Nutrition: Microbial Interactions to Metabolic Optimization
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Precision Domestic Animal Nutrition: Microbial Interactions to Metabolic Optimization

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2026 | Viewed by 4555

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Xihong Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Changsha, China
Interests: swine nutrition; gut microbiota–host interactions; intestinal barrier function; lipid metabolism; microbial metabolites; extracellular vesicles
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As precision livestock farming continues to evolve, optimizing nutrition for domestic animals has become a critical strategy to enhance production efficiency and animal health. Recent research highlights that nutritional needs are shaped not only by genetic and environmental factors but also by the complex interactions between the host and its microbiome. The microbial communities residing in the gastrointestinal tract play a pivotal role in breaking down complex feed components, producing short-chain fatty acids, and influencing metabolic processes, immune responses, and overall health.

To advance precision nutrition in livestock, it is essential to systematically explore the interaction networks between gut microbiota and nutritional metabolism. Such insights will contribute to improving animal welfare and optimizing production performance.

This Special Issue welcomes original research articles and reviews on topics including, but not limited to, the following:

  • The role of the microbiome in nutrient absorption and digestion in livestock;
  • The influence of dietary components on gut microbial community structures;
  • Metabolic changes and health assessments of livestock under varying nutritional regimes;
  • Microbial metabolites and their impact on animal health;
  • Applications of precision livestock farming in relation to microbiome interactions;
  • The relationship between the microbiome and animal immune responses.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Xihong Zhou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • domestic animal nutrition
  • gut microbiota
  • metabolism
  • feeding
  • diets
  • animal health

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 2740 KB  
Article
Effect of Replacing Corn with Rice on Growth Performance, Meat Quality, Gut Microbiota and Metabolites in Growing–Finishing Pigs
by Xiaolin Wu, Qinqun Jiang, Hong Hu, Qi Han and Xihong Zhou
Animals 2026, 16(1), 12; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16010012 - 19 Dec 2025
Viewed by 646
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effects of partially replacing corn with rice in the diet and supplementing with cellulase on growth performance, pork quality, and gut microbiota of growing–finishing pigs. A total of 64 healthy pigs (68.03 ± 1.59 kg) were randomly [...] Read more.
This study aimed to investigate the effects of partially replacing corn with rice in the diet and supplementing with cellulase on growth performance, pork quality, and gut microbiota of growing–finishing pigs. A total of 64 healthy pigs (68.03 ± 1.59 kg) were randomly assigned into four groups: CON (basal diet), ASE (basal diet + 20,000 IU/g cellulase), RICE (the basal diet replaced 50% of corn with rice), RASE (the basal diet replaced 50% of corn with rice + 20,000 IU/g cellulase). The results indicated that dietary rice and cellulase, either individually or in combination, had no significant effects (p > 0.05) on the FBW, ADG, ADFI, and F/G of pigs. However, the dietary rice markedly increased the intramuscular fat (IMF) content (p < 0.05). Furthermore, gut microbiota profiling indicated that Papillibacte were enriched in the RICE group and positively associated with IMF content. Metabolomic analysis revealed substantial differences in fecal metabolites among the treatment groups. The RICE group exhibited reduced levels of Zygadenine, Carpaine, and Rhodioloside E, which were negatively correlated with both IMF content and Papillibacter. In conclusion, dietary rice can promote IMF deposition by modulating gut microbiota and host metabolism, without compromising the growth performance of pigs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Precision Domestic Animal Nutrition: Microbial Interactions to Metabolic Optimization)
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Review

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31 pages, 1861 KB  
Review
Metagenomic Applications to Herbivore Gut Microbiomes: A Comprehensive Review of Microbial Diversity and Host Interactions
by Jinjin Wei, Lin Wei, Abd Ullah, Mingyang Geng, Xuemin Zhang, Changfa Wang, Muhammad Zahoor Khan, Chunming Wang and Zhenwei Zhang
Animals 2025, 15(20), 2938; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15202938 - 10 Oct 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3508
Abstract
Herbivorous animals rely on complex gastrointestinal systems and microbial communities to efficiently digest plant-based diets, extract nutrients, and maintain health. Recent advances in metagenomic technologies have enabled high-resolution, culture-independent analysis of gut microbiota composition, functional potential, and host–microbe interactions, providing insights into microbial [...] Read more.
Herbivorous animals rely on complex gastrointestinal systems and microbial communities to efficiently digest plant-based diets, extract nutrients, and maintain health. Recent advances in metagenomic technologies have enabled high-resolution, culture-independent analysis of gut microbiota composition, functional potential, and host–microbe interactions, providing insights into microbial diversity across the herbivore digestive tract. This review summarizes key findings on the gastrointestinal microbiota of herbivores, focusing on ruminant foregut and non-ruminant hindgut fermentation. Ruminants like cattle, sheep, and goats host microbiota enriched with fibrolytic and methanogenic microbes that facilitate fiber degradation and volatile fatty acid production, contributing significantly to energy balance. In contrast, non-ruminants such as horses and rabbits rely on hindgut fermentation, with distinct microbial taxa contributing to carbohydrate and protein breakdown. The review further explores how specific microbial taxa, including Prevotella, Fibrobacter, and Ruminococcus, correlate with improved feed efficiency and growth performance, particularly in ruminants. Additionally, the roles of probiotics, prebiotics, and symbiotics in modulating gut microbial composition and enhancing productivity are discussed. Despite significant advances, challenges remain in microbial sampling, functional annotation, and understanding the integration of microbiota with host physiology. The review emphasizes the potential of metagenomic insights in optimizing herbivore gut microbiota to improve feed efficiency, health, and sustainable livestock production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Precision Domestic Animal Nutrition: Microbial Interactions to Metabolic Optimization)
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