Pravin Mishra, DVM

In Hawaiʻi , there is a relatively high number of feral chickens, commonly seen on roads and in parking lots. These feral chickens are of scientific interest, as they can provide clues about the modern-day chicken’s biology. However, until now, there was limited or no knowledge of the gut microbiota of these feral birds. That’s according to Professor Rajesh Jha of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources ( CTAHR ) Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences . For the first time, Jha’s research team sequenced the intestinal microbiota of the Hawaiian feral chicken and explored the cecal (referring to a specific part of the intestine) microbiota profile of commercial chickens. “Since microbial populations are instrumental to their host’s health, we hope that our work will help determine what bacteria are dominant and what potential roles they play, either beneficial or non-beneficial,” said Jha. Knowing the healthy gut mic

Diverse gut microbiota plays a significant role in host metabolism, growth performance, nutrient digestion, and overall health of birds. The composition of chicken gut microbiota depends on age, especially at the early stages of life, genotype, farming conditions/environment, and diet/feed additives. Sometimes, the gut microbiota composition can be altered severely by non-infectious or infectious stressors. Consequently, this dysbiosis can impact intestinal morphology and activities (e.g., increased permeability of the intestine, higher risk of bacterial infection, sepsis, inflammation, and reduced digestion). Probiotics can affect the health, performance, and disease risk of the hosts, as they can amend the dysbiosis and improve the balance of gut microbiota in healthy hosts by reducing the proliferation of pathogenic species and increasing the beneficial bacteria. The most commonly used probiotic species belong to the genera Lactobacillus ,  Streptococcus ,  Bacillus , Bif