Human and animal organisms are not sterile environments, both on the surfaces and inside there are numerous microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi) different in quality and quantity. The study of this multifaceted population is transforming the concept of health, expanding knowledge on metabolic processes and the presence of antibiotics in organisms. It is important to know the composition of the microbiota in healthy animals or that have received different foods, drugs or subjected to infectious diseases. Numerous animal microbiota / microbiome studies analyse the different composition of populations of microorganisms that populate different animal systems and species. Microbiota modulation is a strategy of crucial importance in some areas, for example the use of probiotics can improve the resistance and performances of animals of zootechnical interest.
The activity of our research teams so far has taken into consideration:

• the alterations of the intestinal microbiota, in qualitative and/or quantitative terms during the onset of an enteric pathology of birds, megabacteriosis, in which the immune mechanisms are involved in the triggering and maintenance of a state of chronic pathological inflammation. Our studies confirmed that the composition and functionality of the microbiota modulate the production and absorption of metabolites and bacterial products capable of influencing the metabolic, endocrine and immune-regulatory responses,
• the alterations of the intestinal microbiota consequent to modifications of the diet in animals of zootechnical interest and in animal models. The diet can select certain bacterial families at the expense of others and therefore modify the relative percentages of the bacterial flora. The quality and quantity of food, in addition to their content of nutraceutical, pre and/or probiotic substances, can vary the composition and functionality of the microbiota,
• alterations of the microbiota of the respiratory tract in Piedmontese beef cattle in healthy animals and animals with respiratory disease. Several environmental factors can influence the composition of the respiratory microbiota,
• alterations of the intestinal microbiota in healthy pet animals, pet animals affected by inflammatory diseases (immune mediated and non-immune enteritis) and neoplastic diseases (lymphoma and intestinal adenocarcinoma). The aim is to define predictive, prognostic and diagnostic markers, as well as highlights possible associations between microbiota and specific pathologies,
• intrauterine microbiota alterations in healthy cows and mares with the clinical or subclinical uterine pathologies. The aim of the project is to understand which factors influence the uterine environment and the endometrial microbiota in healthy and sick animals,
• The current projects suggest that the analysis of the microbiota of some apparatuses could be a valid non-invasive diagnostic and monitoring support for different pathologies. In the future, the research groups have among their objectives the comparison between traditional methods (bacteriological culture) and new generation ones (NGS), to evaluate the additional information that could be obtained from other systems, in healthy animals or suffering from pathological processes. Studies on the composition of the microbiota could provide early indications on pathological states and / or infections that are not yet manifest, opening horizons towards the branch of predictive microbiology.

• EIT FOOD 2018 INNOPOULTRY: The poultry food chain: tackling old problems with innovative approaches.
• EIT FOOD 2019 FROM WASTE TO FARM: insect larvae as tool for welfare improvement in poultry.

• Robino P., Ferrocino I., Rossi G., Dogliero A., Alessandria V., Grosso L., Galosi L., Tramuta C., Cocolin L., Nebbia P. - Changes in gut bacterial communities in canaries infected by Macrorhabdus ornithogaster - Avian Pathology. 2019. Vol. 48, 111-120.
• Biasato I., Ferrocino I., Dabbou S., Rocchina E., Gai F., Gasco L., Cocolin L., Capucchio MT., Schiavone A. - Black soldier fly and gut health in broiler chickens: insights into the relationship between cecal microbiota and intestinal mucin composition - J Anim Sci Biotechnol. 2020. Vol. 11:11.
• Colombino E., Ferrocino I., Biasato I., Cocolin L., Prieto-Botella D., Zduńczyk Z., Jankowski J., Milala J., Kosmala M., Fotschki B., Capucchio MT., Jus̈kiewicz J. - Dried fruit pomace inclusion in poultry diet: growth performance, intestinal morphology and physiology - J Anim Sci Biotechnol. 2020. 11:63.
• Biasato I., Ferrocino I., Grego E., Dabbou S., Gai F., Gasco L., Cocolin L., Capucchio MT., Schiavone A. - Gut Microbiota and Mucin Composition in Female Broiler Chickens Fed Diets including Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor, L.) - Animals (Basel). 2019. 9:213.
• Biasato I., Ferrocino I., Biasibetti E., Grego E., Dabbou S., Sereno A., Gai F., Gasco L., Schiavone A., Cocolin L., Capucchio MT. - Modulation of intestinal microbiota, morphology and mucin composition by dietary insect meal inclusion in free-range chickens - BMC Vet Res. 2018. 14:383.
• Guantario B., Giribaldi M., Devirgiliis C., Finamore A., Colombino E., Capucchio MT., Motta V., 1Zinno P., Cirrincione S., Antoniazzi S., Cavallarin L., Roselli M. - A comprehensive evaluation of the impact of bovine milk containing different beta-casein profiles on gut health of ageing mice - Nutrients (Submitted).
• Nicola I., Cerutti F., Grego E., Bertone I., Gianella P., D’Angelo A., Peletto S., Bellino C. - Characterization of the upper and lower respiratory tract microbiota in Piedmontese calves - 2017 Microbiome. 5:152, 1-11.

• Dr. Ilaria Biasato, Dr. Ilario Ferrocino, Prof. Luca Simone Cocolin, Prof. Laura Gasco (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Science, University of Turin, Grugliasco (TO), Italy).
• Prof. Giacomo Rossi, Dr. Livio Galosi (School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Matelica (MC), Italy);
• Dr. Francesco Cerutti, Dr. Simone Peletto (IZS Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, sede di Torino);
• Dr. Laura Cavallarin, Dr. Francesco Gai (Istituto di Scienze delle produzioni alimentari (ISPA-CNR), Grugliasco, Torino, Italia;
• Centro di Ricerca Alimenti e Nutrizione (CREA), Roma, Italia