5th IHSIG Symposium on Poultry Gut Health

The IHSIG symposia focus on the One World, One Health concept which recognizes that human health is interconnected to the health of animals and the environment. Humans and animals interact with greater frequency and intimacy in a globalized world. These interactions increase the risk of the emergence and spread of disease agents that could adversely impact health, whether human or both.

We need to be aware of animal health, animal well-being, human safety, human health, food safety, food security, public perception, trade implications, and market-access aspects if we want to improve poultry production because food production will need to support the growing world population in a sustainable way. Today, poultry production is essential in providing affordable protein and has a low ecological footprint. Therefore the IHSIG symposium is all about the One World, One Health concept in relation to the intestinal health in poultry.

In poultry production, intestinal health is a key factor to obtain maximal performance. A better understanding of the complex microbiota composition and the host – microbiota interactions will lead to the optimal steering of gut microbiota, resulting in better gut health and performance. Research in intestinal problems in humans, like Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), is also investigating these issues so scientific studies can benefit both human and animal health.