Project
Microbiome and the health of animals
The microbiome in the gut of mammals is important for (gut) health, as well as for the development and functioning of the immune system. Recent research in humans and laboratory animals suggests that the gut microbiome has a particular impact on lung immunity and may play a role in resistance to respiratory infections. In this context, the gut-lung axis is referred to, which refers to the two-way communication between the gut microbiome and the microbiome and immune system in the lung. Perhaps this gut-lung axis could also be used to promote the health of (meat) calves.
It is possible that, as in other animal species, the microbiome in the gut is also functionally related to the microbiome and immunity in the lungs in (veal) calves (the existence of the gut-lung axis). If so, knowledge about this relationship could ultimately form the basis for developing strategies and interventions in particular through diet that could change the microbiome in the gut of calves in a desired direction, thus increasing the animals' resistance against respiratory infections can be increased. Before that, it must first be demonstrated that the supposed gut-lung axis is indeed also present in calves. The study aims to provide proof-of-principle for the existence of functionally relevant relationships between the gut microbiome and the microbiome and lung immunity (the gut-lung axis) of calves. To this end, an animal experiment is carried out in which the microbiome in the gut is experimentally manipulated in calves, after which the effect on the microbiome and the immunity in the lungs is studied.