Resilience to heat stress and gut microbiota in livestock

February 10, 2026

Functionality assessment of thermophiles that contribute to environment-friendly livestock management

The joint research group of the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, the RIKEN CSRS, the Riken Center for Advanced Photonics, Kyushu University, Hiroshima University, and Kitasato University conducted a large-scale survey of cumulative number of over 600 thousand laying hens. The research group revealed that oral administration of a solution containing feed fermented by a group of thermophilic bacteria is an effective breeding strategy to reduce hen mortality under heat stress conditions, suggested by structural equation modeling for gut microbiota composition and heat stress resilience.

As global warming accelerates, heat stress has reached a level that cannot be ignored. The significance of the concept “One Health,” which aims to comprehensively protect humans, animals and the environment, has become increasingly recognized globally. In such a society, the demand for environment-friendly, sustainable new technologies has increased across various fields. This study found that the technology of fermentation by thermophilic bacteria reduces the mortality of hens that had grown under heat stress. A computational analysis of animal excrement also indicates that feed fermented by thermophilic bacteria could improve the balance between gut microbiota structure and short-chain fatty acid composition.

The findings of this study show that the use of high-quality feed fermented by thermophilic bacteria supports the survival of livestock under heat stress, suggesting that gut microbiome control could be crucial as an underlying mechanism of action.

 

Original article

Animal Microbiome　doi: 10.1186/s42523-026-00520-5

Y. Inabu, H. Miyamoto, H. Takahashi, T. Kato, S. Moriya, A. Kurotani, H. Yamano, T. Nakaguma, N. Tsuji, C. Ishii, M. Matsuura, S. Wada, T. Satoh, M. Udagawa, H. Miyamoto, J. Kikuchi, H. Kodama, H. Ohno,

"Compost fermented with thermophilic Bacillaceae reduces heat stress-induced mortality in laying hens through gut microbial modulation".

Contact

Jun Kikuchi
Team Director
Environmental Metabolic Analysis Research Team