Omics technologies in poultry health and productivity - part 1: current use in poultry research

Abstract

In biology, molecular terms with the suffix "-omics" refer to disciplines aiming at the collective characterization of pools of molecules derived from different layers (DNA, RNA, proteins, metabolites) of living organisms using high-throughput technologies. Such omics analyses have been widely implemented in poultry research in recent years. This first part of a bipartite review on omics technologies in poultry health and productivity examines the use of multiple omics and multi-omics techniques in poultry research. More specific present and future applications of omics technologies, not only for the identification of specific diagnostic biomarkers, but also for potential future integration in the daily monitoring of poultry production, are discussed in part 2. Approaches based on omics technologies are particularly used in poultry research in the hunt for genetic markers of economically important phenotypical traits in the host, and in the identification of key bacterial species or functions in the intestinal microbiome. Integrative multi-omics analyses, however, are still scarce. Host physiology is investigated via genomics together with transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics techniques, to understand more accurately complex production traits such as disease resistance and fertility. The gut microbiota, as a key player in chicken productivity and health, is also a main subject of such studies, investigating the association between its composition (16S rRNA gene sequencing) or function (metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, metaproteomics, metabolomics) and host phenotypes. Applications of these technologies in the study of other host-associated microbiota and other host characteristics are still in their infancy.

Are there consistent effects of gut microbiota composition on performance, productivity and condition in poultry?

“…Poultry ranks amongst the most widespread livestock: in 2021, worldwide production included 74 billion chickens, 4 billion ducks, and 0.6 billion turkeys ( http://www.fao.org/faostat ). Although still novel and developing, microbiota research in the past decade has fundamentally changed our views on factors conditioning poultry health and performance in production-related traits ( Dehau et al, 2022 ). On top of traditional condition determinants, microbiota composition, namely in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) , emerged as a key modulator of animal physiology.…”

Poultry gut health and beyond

“…In less than 20 years, this new field of research has grown to become a scientific area of its own: the science of the intestinal ecosystem. It has been boosted by new and advanced research tools becoming available, especially the so-called omics technologies ( Dehau et al., 2022 ; Goossens et al., 2022 ).…”

Trends and Challenges in the Surveillance and Control of Avian Metapneumovirus

“…Poultry farming has undergone great changes in its production systems; while the sheds where birds are housed and raised have better conditions for animal welfare and a high technological level, population densities have also increased proportionally [ 1 ], representing a large sanitary challenge. Although many measures are taken to control diseases, such as biosecurity, immunoprophylaxis, management and nutrition [ 2 ], this large population of animals in the same environment or shed becomes a risk factor for the health of the birds, which can lead to the emergence of diseases, most of which are respiratory. In this context, the flow of people, animals and migratory birds can pose a risk to the health of poultry batches [ 3 ], as this flow of people and animals can carry diseases into poultry facilities.…”