Beneficial orientation of the intestinal pigs and poultry microbiota

More and more studies support the important impact of intestinal health and especially the intestinal microflora on the overall health of humans and animals. The NSERC Industrial Research Chair in meat safety, funded by industrial partners and NSERC ($ 2.2M), conducted in the last term (2011-2015) projects that generated particularly interesting results in that perspective. The development of molecular methods for characterization of intestinal microflora of pigs and poultry was acquired that will be greatly useful in the new research program to improve the digestive health of animals by modulating the microbiota, and analysis of its impact on food safety have been proposed. This new program is also funded by industrial partners (Quebec Hog Breeders (EPQ), F. Ménard / Agromex, Egg Farmers of Quebec (FPOQ) and Jefo Nutrition) and NSERC ($ 2.2M in 2016-2020) ; it will allow to understand how it is possible to positively influence the digestive balance of the animal digestive flora to maintain intestinal health and well-being. These investments will be allocated mainly to the research program (80%) including very few technical and vocational salary (10%). This request to the CRIBIQ aims to set up a technical and professional team for the optimized realization of this research program and mentoring of graduate students. In addition, it will address an additional request from one of our partners facing consumer demand to promote natural and organic farms that cause stress governance and that are likely to change several parameters including behavior, animal welfare and animal health, as well as to modify the production environment that can have a significant impact on the producer's health. These researches will be conducted in collaboration with IRDA, scientific partner with expertise in housing of laying hens and to the extent parameter welfare of birds and the environmental impacts of this type of farming. More broadly, the overall research program of the Chair- NSERC aims to develop alternative strategies, gained from fermenters developpement, for the use of antimicrobials and assessing their effectiveness in controlling food pathogens and zoonotic agents in pigs and poultry, while improving digestive health of animals and the safety of meat and eggs. In addition, the study of the impact of alternative strategies on the favorable orientation of the intestinal microbial flora of breeder hens start laying, and the establishment at the egg with a protective microbial biofilm, will be an important asset for both layers and broilers chickens.