Special Issue "Relationships between Animal Hosts and Microbiota, Animal Health and Response to Diseases"

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2023 | Viewed by 901

Special Issue Editor

Department of Agrofood, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
Interests: system biology; functional genomics; nutrigenomics; metagenomic; biomarkers discovery

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the launch of the human metagenome project in 2007, the role of microbiome in shaping host response has gained popularity, and today, it is recognized that also in livestock, companion, and wild animals, the factors affecting the relationship between host and microbes are a fundamental pillar to unravel the complexity of organism response to internal and external stimuli. Microbiome is influenced by genetic factors, sex, age, and nutrition of the host and by climate conditions and influences of the neuronal, endocrine, behavioral, immune, and digestive response of animals, which in turn modify the ability to cope with stressors and to perform in the environment.

Although recently, the animal microbiome issue has received an impressive number of research, it is my opinion that a systematic collection of existing and new data is needed to disentangle the complexity of mutual influences between microbial communities and animal health.

Prof. Dr. Bruno Stefanon
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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 1800 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

  • livestock
  • companion animals
  • wild animals
  • microbiota
  • metabolites
  • physiology
  • non-communicable diseases
  • infectious diseases
  • environment

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

Review
Factors Affecting Gut Microbiota of Puppies from Birth to Weaning
Animals 2023, 13(4), 578; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13040578 - 06 Feb 2023
Viewed by 673
Abstract
The review described the most important factors affecting the development of the intestinal microbiota in puppies from birth to weaning. The health and well-being of the microbiome in puppies is influenced by the type of parturition, the maternal microbiota, and the diet of [...] Read more.
The review described the most important factors affecting the development of the intestinal microbiota in puppies from birth to weaning. The health and well-being of the microbiome in puppies is influenced by the type of parturition, the maternal microbiota, and the diet of the mother, directly or indirectly. The isolation of bacteria in dogs from the placenta, fetal fluids, and fetuses suggests that colonization could occur before birth, although this is still a matter of debate. Accordingly, newborn puppies could harbor bacteria that could be of maternal origin and that could influence microbial colonization later in life. However, the long-term impacts on health and the clinical significance of this transfer is not yet clear and needs to be investigated. The same maternal bacteria were found in puppies that were born vaginally and in those delivered via cesarean section. Potentially, the relationship between the type of parturition and the colonization of the microbiome will influence the occurrence of diseases, since it can modulate the gut microbiome during early life. In addition, puppies’ gut microbiota becomes progressively more similar to adult dogs at weaning, as a consequence of the transition from milk to solid food that works together with behavioral factors. A number of researches have investigated the effects of diet on the gut microbiota of dogs, revealing that dietary interference may affect the microbial composition and activity through the production of short-chain fatty acids and vitamins. These compounds play a fundamental role during the development of the fetus and the initial growth of the puppy. The composition of the diet fed during pregnancy to the bitches is also an important factor to consider for the health of newborns. As far as it is known, the effects of the type of parturition, the maternal microbiota, and the diet on the microbial colonization and the long-term health of the dogs deserve further studies. Definitely, longitudinal studies with a larger number of dogs will be required to assess a causal link between microbiome composition in puppies and diseases in adult dogs. Full article
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