Animal Disease Control: Genetics and Nutrigenomic Approach and Perspective

Dear Colleagues,

Animal disease prevention and control increasingly rely on integrative strategic approaches that combine genetics, genomics and nutrigenomics to improve resistance and resilience both in livestock and in the aquaculture field. Advances in molecular genetics have identified key genetic markers, particularly polymorphic variants and quantitative trait loci associated with immunity regulation, pathogen resistance and metabolic efficiency phenotypes. In recent decades, selective breeding programs based on genomic selection have been adopted, enhancing resistance to infectious diseases such as scrapie in sheep and goats, mastitis in dairy cattle, viral hemorrhagic septicemia in fish and avian influenza in poultry. For other relevant animal diseases (i.e., Small Ruminant Lentiviruses, Paratuberculosis…), there is a need for data implementation and exploration for the future application of Marker Assisted Selection plans.

Parallelly, nutrigenomics provides insights into how dietary supplementation influences gene expression, immune pathways and the host’s capacity to respond to infection. Functional feeds enriched with natural ingredients—such as bioactive nutraceutical compounds, polyphenols, omega-3 fatty acids and prebiotics—have been shown to modulate oxidative stress, inflammatory signaling and gut microbiota, promoting better immune competence and reducing the need for antibiotics.

This integrative ‘genetics–nutrigenomics’ perspective supports the One Health framework by fostering sustainable production systems with reduced disease burden and antimicrobial use, thus contrasting the still evident antimicrobial resistance issues. The future of animal disease control will depend on multi-omics data integration (genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics) and precision nutrition tailored to genetic backgrounds, enabling individualized health management and improved biosecurity in animal production systems. Scientific articles (such as original research, reviews and short communications) about this relevant topic and the Special Issue are welcome.

Dr. Martina Torricelli
Guest Editor

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