Biotechnological Interventions Augmenting Livestock Health and Production

This book comprehensively discusses the applications of molecular genetics, functional and structural genomics, and proteomics vis-a-vis bioinformatics, artificial intelligence, and robotics in livestock healthfulness and productivity. It reviews the biotechnological approaches in veterinary sciences for increasing productivity and resistance to disease. The book emphasizes the approaches based on artificial intelligence to analyze the data collected on animals, pathogens, and their environment. It underscores artificial intelligence applications in disease diagnosis, epidemiological studies, and detecting biological phenomena, including heat-detection, pregnancy, docility, and infections. Further, the book examines the genomics and proteomics approaches for understanding the gut microbiota and the role of pathogen-host interactions in animal health and disease. Lastly, it explores both pathogenic and non-pathogenic microbial transfer between humans, animals, and the environment across one health spectrum.

Dr CS Mukhopadhyay: is working as Senior Scientist in the Department of Bioinformatics, College of Animal Biotechnology, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, India. He has been engaged in research works involving animal genomics and transcriptomics directed towards disease resistance of cattle, buffalo, and chicken. He is a life member of scientific societies like, ADNAT, Indian Science Congress, Indian Assoc. Medical Informatics etc and reviewer of journals like BMC Genomics, Plos One, Molecular Biology Reports, etc. He has been awarded the prestigious Fulbright-Nehru Academic for Professional Excellence, an international educational exchange award, sponsored by the USA government, to research for 9 months (in 2016-17) at the Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, USA. He has authored 10 book chapters and has also authored a book.

Dr. Ratan K. Choudhary is an Assistant Professor at the College of Animal Biotechnology, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Punjab. Dr. Choudhary held bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in veterinary sciences and earned his doctoral degree in Animal Science from The University of Maryland, College Park, USA. His research interest is focused on the development of stem cell therapy for the dry period and mastitis in dairy animals. He had worked at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) facility for six years (2007-2012). He has two post-doctoral research experiences, viz. University of Kentucky (2012-2013) and University of Vermont (2018-2020), USA. He was awarded many prizes including, Dean’s Fellowship, R. F. Davis Scholarship and Jacob K. Goldhaber Travel Award (all three from the University of Maryland), Beltsville Agricultural Research Centre, USDA poster awards (in a row for three years), First Prize Winner of National Milk Producers Federation Graduate Student Paper Presentation Award in Dairy Production and Novus International Inc. Travel Award (both from the American Dairy Science Association, USA), International Travel Scheme (ITS) Scholarship 2015 (DBT, India). He is serving as a reviewer in many international journals and proposals including, the USDA-Israel BARD grant proposal, French Animal National Research Proposal, Book Proposals, Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia, Scientific Reports, World Journal Stem Cells, Journal of Dairy Research, PlosOne and Stem Cells Reviews, and Report.

 Dr. Harsh Panwar is currently serving as Assistant Professor (Dairy Microbiology) at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab. He has obtained his Master’s degree in Microbiology from Kurukshetra University Kurukshetra, Haryana in 2007 with University Gold Medal, and Ph.D. in Dairy Microbiology in the year 2013 from ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal and Queen’s University Belfast, UK through prestigious Commonwealth Split-Site Scholarship program. Dr. Panwar has been working in the area of probiotics and their role in management of metabolic disorders, and mitigation of antimicrobial resistance in milk chain. Dr. Panwar has published over 50 research papers, reviews, and book chapters in journals of national and international repute. He has also edited 2 books.  He is recipient of several awards, including Associate-Fellowship, National Academy of Dairy Sciences (India); Commonwealth Scholarship by Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, UK; DST-INSPIRE Fellowship by Department of Science and Technology, Government of India; Best Researcher Award 2017-18, and Best Teacher Award 2018-19 by Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University; Most Promising Young Dairy Microbiologist 2017 by Vet’s Club, Ludhiana; Young Scientist Award 2020 by Association of Microbiologists of India; RS RANA Memorial Award 2020 by Association of Microbiologists of India; Indo-Australian Career Boosting GOLD Fellowship 2020 and severalbest paper and poster awards.

Prof. Yashpal Singh Malik is currently the Dean of the College of Animal Biotechnology, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, India. He is a recipient of the prestigious “ICAR National Fellow” at the ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute. His areas of expertise are rotaviral diseases, viral disease epidemiology, microbial biodiversity, host-virus interactions, and pathogen-diagnostics. He has pursued advanced studies in molecular virology at the University of Minnesota, USA; University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; and Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan, China. He is the recipient of several prestigious national, state and academy awards and honors, including the ICAR-Jawaharlal Nehru Award. He has authored 7 books, 45 book chapters, and over 200 research and review articles. Dr Malik has been associated with societies of international repute, like, the Managing Committee Member of the World Society for Virology (USA). He has been serving as Secretary General of Indian Virological Society. Being a member in “One Health group in Federation of Asian Veterinary Association” (FAVA) for 2021-2025, he is the Indian flag bearer on the international forum. Dr. Malik is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Immunology Immunopathology and has also edited special issues of the Springer journal Virus Disease, Bentham’s The Open Virology Journal, and the Journal of Current Drug Metabolism. He has been awarded a prestigious Fellowship by the Academy of Microbiological Sciences (AMSc).