One Health principle will be the focus on 4th IHSIG Symposium

The Intestinal Health Scientific Interest Group (IHSIG) group organizes its fourth symposium on poultry gut health (26-27 October). IHSIG wants to evoke discussions with the scientific community, poultry producers, regulatory authorities and poultry veterinarians aiming to promote health and welfare in poultry production.

The Intestinal Health Scientific Interest Group (IHSIG) group was created in 2010 to discuss intestinal health issues in poultry with the support of Kemin, who sponsored the first two symposia of IHSIG. The 3rd IHSIG 2015 event in Ghent – Belgium was sponsored by more than 20 companies and research institutes active in the poultry sector.

The 2016 symposium in Sao Paulo, Brasil, will focus on the One Health principle. The One Health concept recognizes that the health of humans is connected to the health of animals and the environment. Humans and animals interact with greater frequency and intimacy in a globalized world. This interaction offers the opportunity for the emergence and spread of disease agents that could adversely impact animal or human health or both. We need to be aware of the 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 also need to support a growing world population in a sustainable way. Poultry production is essential in providing affordable protein and has a low ecological footprint.

The IHSIG group therefore organizes a symposium on the One Health concept and implications for intestinal health management in poultry. International speakers will provide information on the concept of One World, One Health and innovative research and solutions to improve intestinal health in poultry will be presented.

During the symposium, time is foreseen for networking and exchange of ideas with speakers and visitors.

In poultry production, intestinal health is a key factor to obtain maximal performance. Better understanding of the complex microbiota composition and the host- microbiota interactions will lead to optimal steering of gut microbiota, resulting in better gut health and performance. Research in intestinal problems in humans like Inflammatory Bowel Disease is also investigating these issues: interaction of host response with the intestinal microbiota community, so scientific studies can benefit both human and animal health. One World, One Health.