Veterinary Quarterly

Intestinal Immune Responses and Challenges in Poultry

This Article Collection aims to compile and highlight the latest research on the intestinal immune system in poultry, focusing on how birds respond to various internal and external factors that impact gut health. It explores the mechanisms by which the poultry immune system defends against pathogens, maintains a balanced gut microbiome, and adapts to dietary and environmental stressors. Additionally, the collection examines key challenges such as emerging diseases, antibiotic resistance, and the development of alternative strategies like probiotics, vaccines, and nutritional interventions to promote intestinal health and overall productivity in poultry.

The gastrointestinal tract plays a vital role in maintaining physiological balance, allowing poultry to withstand internal and external stressors such as specific feed components, pathogens, and toxins. Understanding how these stressors influence gut immune responses is essential for enhancing disease resistance, developing innovative vaccines, and promoting gut health. Advances in technology, including transgenic chickens, in vitro organoid models, and microbial community analysis, will significantly deepen our knowledge of poultry intestinal health, paving the way for more effective disease prevention and management strategies.

All article types consistent with Veterinary Quarterly’s author guidelines are welcome. The main themes to investigate will be:

• Development of the intestinal immune system.
• Pathogenesis and immune responses to infectious and non-infectious intestinal disease.
• Studies on immune response and intestinal barrier function.
• Investigations into the mode of action of feed additives/microbiome on host-resistance to disease or effects on intestinal homeostasis.
• Innovative technology, including in vitro and in vivo models, to analyse intestinal immune responses against pathogens, feed-additives or microbiome and/or its related compounds.

Keywords: Intestine, Mucosal Immunity, Innovative technology, Intestinal Barrier Function, Enteric disease

Guest Advisors

Dr. Kate Sutton, PhD obtained a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry at the University of Galway in Ireland, followed by a MSc in Drug Design and Biomedical Sciences at Edinburgh Napier University. Her PhD research was based at the Roslin Institute focused on avian cytokines as vaccine adjuvants. In 2023, Kate was awarded a Career Track Fellowship at the Roslin Institute, forming the Avian Immuno-transgenics Group. Here is the link to her ORCID page:  https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1014-5548.

Dr. Gerlinde Van de Walle, DVM, PhD received her DVM degree from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Belgium, followed by a PhD from the same institution in veterinary virology. From 2013 till 2024, she ran her independent research lab, working in the fields of veterinary virology and stem cell biology. She is a recipient of the Zoetis Animal Health Award for Research Excellence (2016) and the SUNY Chancellors Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities (2023). In 2024, she started as the Chair of the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Edinburgh, where she aims to provide a critical link between the basic and clinical sciences to improve diagnosis, control and prevention of animal and human diseases. Here is the link to her ORCID page:  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2064-8029.

Disclosure statement: Both Guest Advisors declare no conflict of interest.

­­All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo desk assessment and peer-review as part of our standard editorial process; the Guest Advisor for this Collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member).

Please review the journal scope  and author submission instructions  prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is December 31st, 2026.

Please contact Ruby Ru at [email protected]  with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection.

To submit your papers to this Article Collection, please:

1. Check "yes" for the question, "Are you submitting your paper for a specific special issue or article collection?"
2. Select the relevant Article Collection from the drop-down menu under the question, "Special Issue or Article Collection Name."