Improving the Sustainability of Australian Livestock Production Systems. The sustainability of livestock production systems must urgently be improved. This Future Fellowship builds upon Dr Zamira Gibb's portfolio of high-impact research to deliver extension and adoption activities which will improve the outcomes of cattle and horse selective breeding programs; allowing the dissemination of low-methane genetics to remote Northern Australian cattle breeding regions, reducing wastage of breeding ho ....Improving the Sustainability of Australian Livestock Production Systems. The sustainability of livestock production systems must urgently be improved. This Future Fellowship builds upon Dr Zamira Gibb's portfolio of high-impact research to deliver extension and adoption activities which will improve the outcomes of cattle and horse selective breeding programs; allowing the dissemination of low-methane genetics to remote Northern Australian cattle breeding regions, reducing wastage of breeding horses and dairy cattle, and improving foal heath and offspring longevity. This project will address the environmental, ethical, and economic concerns which threaten the sustainability of these culturally significant livestock industries which are the cornerstone of everyday life in regional communities. Read moreRead less
Sustaining chicken-meat production with alternative protein sources. This project aims to secure sustainable chicken-meat production by the radical reduction or even elimination of imported soybean meal as the primary protein source in Australian broiler diets by its replacement with feed-grade amino acids and local feedstuffs. This project will expand our comprehension of starch/glucose and protein/amino acid digestive dynamics in poultry diets based on wheat, the primary feed grain in Australi ....Sustaining chicken-meat production with alternative protein sources. This project aims to secure sustainable chicken-meat production by the radical reduction or even elimination of imported soybean meal as the primary protein source in Australian broiler diets by its replacement with feed-grade amino acids and local feedstuffs. This project will expand our comprehension of starch/glucose and protein/amino acid digestive dynamics in poultry diets based on wheat, the primary feed grain in Australia; however, wheat does inherently possess nutritional disadvantages. Expected outcomes include soybean meal-free feed formulations for the Australian chicken-meat industry to enhance the affordable and environmentally viable production of chicken-meat coupled with improved bird welfare and flock health. Read moreRead less
Defining the molecular basis for Salmonella persistence. Salmonella infections in animals and humans place significant burdens on the agri-food and healthcare sectors. All mammals and avian species can become chronically infected with Salmonella and such chronic carriage is a reservoir for disease and outbreaks in other animals and humans. Significant gaps in our understanding of Salmonella infection remain, including the molecular mechanisms involved in establishing a chronic carrier state. We ....Defining the molecular basis for Salmonella persistence. Salmonella infections in animals and humans place significant burdens on the agri-food and healthcare sectors. All mammals and avian species can become chronically infected with Salmonella and such chronic carriage is a reservoir for disease and outbreaks in other animals and humans. Significant gaps in our understanding of Salmonella infection remain, including the molecular mechanisms involved in establishing a chronic carrier state. We identified several Salmonella specific genes and subsequent murine studies revealed that a Salmonella mutant lacking these genes is attenuated in mice and especially in the gallbladder. In this project we seek to understand the molecular basis for attenuation and the contribution of each protein to diseaseRead moreRead less