Microbiota and Animal Diseases
A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Microbiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 4
Special Issue Editors
Interests: poultry; chicken meat quality; hen egg quality; nanoparticles; in ovo; bioactive peptides; amines
Interests: cattle; colostrum; milk and meat quality; ruminant metabolism; metabolic disease; ruminant nutrition; reproductive physiology; animal health; animal welfare; phytobiotics
Interests: animal science; functional products; herbal medicines; bioactive molecules; biogenic amines; poultry; cats
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Animal health is one of the key factors influencing animal development and performance. One of the most important determinants of health is the microbiota, which is shaped by both the environment and the animal itself. The microbiota promotes better health by enhancing immunity and influencing body physiology, stimulating metabolic pathways to maintain proper homeostasis.
However, in addition to its beneficial effects, the microbiota can also have negative impacts, primarily due to pathogenic microorganisms that may cause disease. For many years, the microbiota has been the subject of intense research, as scientists strive to understand the complex relationships between the microorganisms colonising the animal body, the host animal, and the environmental microbiota. These insights can help improve animal welfare and prevent many diseases.
We invite you to submit articles focusing on the microbiota of domesticated animals, including both companion and farm animals, as well as wild and laboratory animals from diverse environments. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: immune modulation via the microbiota, host–microorganism co-evolution, microbiome-based diagnostics and therapies, microbial colonisation in early life, and the impact of antibiotics, probiotics, and diet on microbial communities.
We particularly encourage studies that apply high-throughput sequencing, metagenomics, metabolomics, and integrative multi-omic approaches to explore the functional implications of microbial shifts.
Case studies and reviews addressing the role of the microbiota in specific disease models—ranging from gastrointestinal and respiratory infections to neuroimmunological disorders and cancer—are also welcome. Articles highlighting translational approaches, such as faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), microbiological biomarkers, or precision microbiome-targeted interventions in veterinary and comparative medicine, are especially encouraged.
By bringing together current findings and interdisciplinary perspectives, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of microbiota in animal health and disease, opening new avenues for research, diagnostics, and therapeutic innovation in both veterinary and biomedical sciences.
Dr. Monika Łukasiewicz-Mierzejewska
Guest Editor
Dr. Paweł Solarczyk
Dr. Wojciech Wójcik
Guest Editor Assistants
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. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2700 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
- animal microbiota
- immune modulation
- animal health
- microbial therapeutics
- microbiota transplantation
- microbiome-based diagnostics
- host–microbiome interactions
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