Kelsy Robinson

1. IntroductionNecrotic enteritis (NE) is caused by the Gram-positive bacterium Clostridium perfringens [1], while the etiological agents of coccidiosis are Eimeria, a genus of apicomplexan parasites [2]. Both NE and coccidiosis are among the most economically significant infectious diseases facing the poultry industry causing growth retardation, morbidity, and even mortality [1,2]. With a growing ...

INTRODUCTIONAntimicrobial resistance is a major threat to human health (1). Host-directed therapy has emerged as a promising antibiotic-free strategy for disease control and prevention (2, 3). Host defense peptides (HDPs), also known as antimicrobial peptides, are small molecules of the innate immune system featuring antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties (4, 5). Inducing HDP synthesis is a ...

IntroductionThe gastrointestinal (GI) tract of humans and animals is populated with a diverse group of microbes known as the microbiota that include bacteria, fungi, archaea, protists, and viruses, with bacteria being the most predominant [1, 2]. The bacterial microbiota is well known to be critically involved in host physiology and immune development [1, 2]; however, the role of the fungal commun ...

INTRODUCTIONNecrotic enteritis (NE), caused by Clostridium perfringens, is one of the most economically significant enteric diseases in poultry, resulting in an annual loss of approximately $6  billion to the global poultry industry (Wade and Keyburn, 2015). NE is manifested by lesions throughout the small intestine and associated with growth retardation, reduced feed efficiency, and up to 50 ...

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract harbors a diverse population of microbes consisting of not only bacteria, but also fungi, viruses, and protozoa. While much work has been focused on the characterization of intestinal bacterial community, very little is known about the fungal community, or mycobiota, in different animal species and chickens in particular. Here we characterized the biogeography and m ...