Roadmap for Microbiota optimisation

What are we trying to achieve and why? What is the problem we are trying to solve?

Manipulation of the host microbiota (MB) to improve health outcomes without the use of antibiotics.
Microbiome transplantation after antibiotic oral therapy to replace with a flora that might be better than the host’s original flora?

What are the scientific and technological challenges (knowledge gaps needing to be addressed)?

Ensuring efficacy and safety of interventions.
Determine sufficient level of depth required to measure positive responses.
Ensuring sharing of data and technologies.
Identifying bacteria that enhance health and growth promotion and which bacteria can collaborate with each other – interaction between microbiota components.
Determining effect of faecal transplantation for specific issue and species
Immune response to transplanted microorganisms negating desired effect of faecal transplantation or other manipulations.
Establishing a desirable microbiota may need to be carried out in neo-nates (– unless re-establishing a healthy microbiota after a crises or AB therapy).

What approaches could/should be taken to address the research question?

Developing tools that can help predict impact of interventions.
Use of probiotics/prebiotics and other dietary supplements.

What else needs to be done before we can solve this need?

Investigating how the MB affects AH and productivity – what is in the microbiota that allows it to do that.
Defining the effect of pro/prebiotics, diet, etc on MB.
Investigating the impact of antibiotics on the microbiota.
Correlating gut/respiratory microbiome with faecal microbiome or biomarkers
Investigating the role of environmental microbiota (i.e., poultry litter) on animal performance and health.

Existing knowledge including successes and failures