Host-Pathogen-Environment Interaction Network (HEPINET)

The HEPINET project will focus on the study of host–pathogen–environment interactions across multiple animal production systems such as ruminants, pigs, poultry, and aquatic species, along with wildlife reservoirs and vector-borne diseases.

This project will examine how modulation of the digestive and respiratory microbiomes, and interactions between these two microbiomes, can influence host susceptibility to a range of pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites. The project will also explore the pathobiome, understood as the pathogen within the surrounding microbial community, in different contexts and under varying conditions to clarify its composition, dynamics, and role in disease outcomes. In parallel, the project will investigate how pathogens adapt to their environment, including the molecular mechanisms that underpin adaptation and the environmental factors that shape or modify these processes.

The project comprises five tasks:

Task 1. Study the dynamics and complexity of pathobiomes in ruminants
Task 2. Effects of genetics, microbiomes and micro-/nanoplastics in the intestinal and respiratory tract of swine and impact on the outcome of pathogen infections
Task 3. Poultry-infecting pathogens
Task 4. Host-pathogen-environment interaction in aquatic ecosystems
Task 5. Wildlife hosts and vectors pathobiome