Intestinal Immune Development Is Accompanied by Temporal Deviation in Microbiota Composition of Newly Hatched Pigeon Squabs
Qianqian Xu, Wenyan Zhao, Yan Li, Xiaoting Zou, Xin Dong
Abstract
The pigeon (Columba livia), an altricial bird, is one of the most economically important farmed poultry for table purposes. Identifying the interaction between intestinal mucosal immune system development and commensal microbiota colonization in neonates is of paramount importance for understanding how early life events affect resistance to disease and potential productivity later in life. However, knowledge about this interaction during the early posthatch development period in altricial birds is limited. The study described herein is the first to try to provide insights into this interaction. Our data provide evidence on the mutual relationship between intestinal mucosal immune system development and commensal microbiota colonization in pigeon squabs and may help to explain the phenomenon of the occurrence of intestinal infections mainly in the ileum of pigeon squabs during the early posthatch period.