In this exciting update, discover how feeding direct fed microbials (including eubiotics, postbiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics) is becoming increasingly widespread during food animal production. Beneficial effects particularly in cattle, pigs, aquaculture, and poultry, including improved general health, foodborne pathogen reduction, more efficient food utilization, increased growth rate and increased milk and egg production. Successes from feeding direct fed microbials in many food animal species which ensures their continual integration into part of a holistic food animal production scheme. Unfortunately, several fundamental questions remain about how and why probiotic approaches succeed, and which kind of probiotic-type products are best for specific production scenarios and schemes (e.g., grass-fed, never-ever antibiotics).  Early establishment and retention of a balanced gastrointestinal microbial ecosystem (non-dysbiotic condition) is critical for a non-native biological additive to be effective in young animals. Therefore, the effectiveness of direct fed microbials in some food animal species may be an indirect consequence of speeding up the establishment and succession of the dominant microflora characteristic of the adult gastrointestinal tract, and preventing a dysbiotic ecosystem from establishing in the gut. We must understand the critical phases and processes involved in microbiota/microbiome establishment in the gut, and how they impact the outputs of the microbial fermentation. By linking the activity of the native and non-native microbial populations and how they interact, we can better design more tailored direct-fed microbials for use at the farm level. Several additional areas of future research directions are also suggested for further development and implementation of next generation direct-fed microbials as advances in sequencing technologies and bioinformatic programs become available. Continued research on direct fed microbials and prebiotics in general should markedly expand their commercial applications, and commercial acceptance and penetration in the animal production market. 

This comprehensive study of poultry meat safety offers readers the most up-to-date information on food safety concerns in poultry meat production. Chapters address recent topics of interest such as organic poultry production, antimicrobial resistant pathogens in poultry, antibiotic usage in poultry production, and pre- and post- harvest approaches to improving poultry meat safety. The last couple of decades have observed a significant increase in poultry meat production in the US. However, poultry meat is a potential source of foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella, Campylobacter spp. and pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC linked to human infections), leading to economic losses to the poultry industry and impacting public health. Advances in knowledge in microbiology, molecular biology, immunology and "omics" fields have intensified efforts to improve the microbiological safety of poultry by targeting virulence mechanisms of the pathogens, developing vaccines and improving gut health in chickens. Moreover, due to the emergence of multidrug resistance in poultry-borne pathogens, and growth of organic poultry production, there exists significant interest for developing natural strategies for controlling pathogens in chickens. This edited volume provides insight into these strategies and covers other material of interest to food microbiologists, public health personnel, and poultry scientists. Readers of various backgrounds will appreciate its incorporation of recent developments not covered in other publications on the subject.

Due to their novel concepts and extraordinary high-throughput sequencing capacity, the "next generation sequencing" methods allow scientists to grasp system-wide landscapes of the complex molecular events taking place in various biological systems, including microorganisms and microbial communities. These methods are now being recognized as essential tools for a more comprehensive and deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying many biological processes. In High-Throughput Next Generation Sequencing: Methods and Applications, experts in the field explore the most recent advances in the applications of next generation sequencing technologies with an emphasis on microorganisms and their communities; however, the methods described in this book will also offer general applications relevant to the study of any living organisms. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Comprehensive and cutting-edge, High-Throughput Next Generation Sequencing: Methods and Applications is an excellent collection of chapters to aid all scientists who wish to apply these innovative research tools to enhance their own pursuits in microbiology and also biology in general.

Due to their novel concepts and extraordinary high-throughput sequencing capacity, the "next generation sequencing" methods allow scientists to grasp system-wide landscapes of the complex molecular events taking place in various biological systems, including microorganisms and microbial communities. These methods are now being recognized as essential tools for a more comprehensive and deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying many biological processes. In High-Throughput Next Generation Sequencing: Methods and Applications, experts in the field explore the most recent advances in the applications of next generation sequencing technologies with an emphasis on microorganisms and their communities; however, the methods described in this book will also offer general applications relevant to the study of any living organisms. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Comprehensive and cutting-edge, High-Throughput Next Generation Sequencing: Methods and Applications is an excellent collection of chapters to aid all scientists who wish to apply these innovative research tools to enhance their own pursuits in microbiology and also biology in general.