SERVICES WE OFFER

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Our educational and research services are focused on the following areas:

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Respiratory Microbiome

The respiratory microbiome is considered to be the essential gatekeeper to respiratory health.

By tailoring the respiratory microbiota:

  • Airway resistance against respiratory infections can be improved.
  • Mitigation of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in cattle

These effects benefit:

  • Producers.
  • Consumers
  • The animal health and welfare

Reproductive Microbiome

The microbial communities living within the female (vagino-uterine) environment and the male (semen) reproductive tract are both critical for reproductive health and efficiency. By improving the reproductive microbiome, the challenges associated with:

  • reproductive tract infections.
  • low male and female fertility..
  • low artificial insemination (AI) success rates.

could be improved across livestock species.

These improvements benefit:

  • Producers.
  • Consumers
  • The animal health and welfare.

Gut Microbiome

Gut microbiomes, especially those present in the rumen, are critical in ruminant animal health and productivity.
Gut microbiome has the potential to:

  • Improve feed efficiency.
  • Improve immunity.
  • Reduce enteric methane emission.
  • Reduce metabolic disorders (acidosis)
  • Reduce diarrhea

All of these effects benefit:

  • Producers.
  • Consumers.
  • The environment.

Other Body Site Microbiomes

  • Microbiomes living within the mammary gland ecosystem are important in cattle health and milk production.
  • Mastitis in dairy cattle
  • Ocular microbiome is important in maintaining eye health.
  • Pinkeye in cattle
  • Hoof skin microbiota are important in bovine hoof health.
  • Digital dermatitis in cattle
    Microbiome interventions benefit:

Maternal Microbiome and Developmental Origin of Health and Disease (DOHaD):

We also focus on the extended impact of the maternal gut and reproductive microbiomes during pregnancy. The maternal environment has significant effects on the offspring development and health via the developmental programming of health and disease (DOHaD). This holistic consideration of microbiomes around the entire body, will have impact on the next generation to promote ongoing health improvements.

Antimicrobial alternatives to mitigate antibiotic resistance in livestock sector:

  • Enhancing the host immune system by manipulating the host microbiome.
  • Developing microbiome-targeted antibiotic alternative approaches (e.g. bacterial therapeutics, bacteriophages, probiotics, and prebiotics) helps to address antibiotic resistance in food.

This benefits the producer, the consumer and the whole ecosystem of food production.