Integrating Genetics, Nutrition, Microbiome, and Immunity to Improve Animal Health, Resilience, and Production

Animal health, welfare and production are shaped by interactions among host genetics, nutrition, the microbiome, immunity and environmental conditions. Emerging diseases, antimicrobial resistance, climate-related stress, declining production efficiency and the need for sustainable animal products require an integrated understanding of these factors.

Advances in genomics, functional nutrition, microbiome science, immunology and precision veterinary technologies now make it possible to study these relationships in greater detail. Genetic and genomic approaches can identify genes, genomic regions and biomarkers associated with disease resistance, immune competence, production efficiency, welfare and environmental adaptation. Nutritional interventions and functional feed strategies can influence metabolism, intestinal integrity, immune responses, microbiome composition and disease resilience. Precision monitoring and data-driven tools can support earlier detection and improved management of health and welfare.

This Research Topic will focus on studies investigating how two or more of these domains interact to influence animal health, resilience, welfare or production, particularly along the genetics-nutrition, nutrition-microbiome, microbiome-immunity, genetics-immunity and immunity-environment axes. Particular interest will be given to research linking host genetics, nutrition, microbiome composition or function, immune responses and disease outcomes.

We welcome Original Research, Brief Research Reports, Reviews, Systematic Reviews, Mini Reviews and Perspectives addressing:

1. Host genetics, genomics and precision breeding
-Genetic determinants of health, disease resistance, resilience, welfare and production
-GWAS, QTL mapping, sequencing, population genomics and genomic selection
-Functional genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, non-coding RNA and nutrigenomics
-Genetic regulation of immune competence, disease susceptibility and environmental adaptation
-Host genetic–microbiome interactions and AI-assisted genomic prediction

2. Nutrition and functional feed strategies
-Nutritional regulation of health, immunity, metabolism and disease resilience
-Functional feed additives, nutraceuticals, phytogenics, bioactive peptides, enzymes and organic acids
-Probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics and postbiotics
-Nutritional strategies supporting intestinal integrity, welfare and environmental resilience
-Precision nutrition and alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters

3. Microbiome and host response
-Gut and extra-intestinal microbiomes in health and disease
-Microbiome regulation of immunity, metabolism and disease resilience
-Microbial biomarkers and microbiome-derived metabolites
-Nutritional and genetic modulation of the microbiome
-Microbiome-based approaches to reduce antimicrobial use

4. Immunity, disease resilience and One Health
-Innate and adaptive immunity, host-pathogen interactions and vaccination
-Nutritional and genetic regulation of immune responses
-Disease resistance, tolerance and resilience
-Biomarkers, molecular diagnostics, pathogen surveillance and epidemiology
-Antimicrobial resistance, zoonoses, food safety and One Health approaches

5. Precision health, environmental resilience and welfare
-Precision veterinary medicine, sensors, wearables and digital phenotyping
-AI, machine learning, computer vision and predictive health models
-Integration of genomic, microbiome, physiological, behavioural and health data
-Heat stress, oxidative stress, climate-related impacts and welfare biomarkers

Studies in livestock, poultry, aquaculture and other veterinary species are welcome. Companion-animal, laboratory-animal, wildlife and comparative studies are encouraged where they provide transferable mechanistic or translational insight into animal health, resilience, welfare or sustainable production.

The Topic aims to advance an integrated model of animal health in which genetics, nutrition, microbiome, immunity and environmental conditions are considered interconnected determinants of animal phenotype.

The collection will highlight approaches for improving disease resistance, immune competence, welfare, antimicrobial stewardship, production efficiency and adaptation to environmental stress. It will connect fundamental research with practical veterinary, nutritional, breeding and precision-health applications, supporting healthier animals, sustainable production and One Health objectives.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Animal health, animal resilience, animal genomics, veterinary nutrition, nutrigenomics, gut microbiome, animal immunity, antimicrobial resistance, precision veterinary medicine, animal welfare, One Health

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.