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

Participants:

ANSES

AU

BfR

CIRAD

CSIC

DEFRA-APHA

DTU

EDI-IVI

EULS

INRAE (Chair)

IRTA

ISS

IZS-Teramo

IZSLER

NVI

PIWet

Sciensano

SSI

SVA

TiHo

UAB

UCPH

UEDIN ND

Ugent

UL

UNIPD

UNITUS

WR

WU

 

Research information

Start
2026-01-01
Finish
2028-01-31
Project Number
EU Project, EUPAHW-SOA32-440322
Status
Ongoing
Funding
Funded by the European Union
Research Areas
Antibiotic resistance, Animal welfare, Food safety, Molecular biology, Virology, Wildlife, Bioinformatics, Animal health