Chicken Age Influenced Microbial Resistome Profiles
A Pennsylvania study found that age impacts resistance genes in broiler chickens more significantly than dietary additives.
Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Life Sciences
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Researchers at Penn State University have determined that the age of broiler chickens is a stronger driver of microbial resistome profiles than various dietary interventions. The study, conducted at the Penn State Poultry Education and Research Center, analyzed fecal samples from 320 birds using shotgun metagenomics.
Why it matters
This finding clarifies the factors influencing antimicrobial resistance in poultry production, suggesting that developmental stages outweigh potential mitigation strategies like probiotics or essential oils. Identifying these drivers is a critical step in managing the horizontal gene transfer of resistance in agricultural settings.
The study identified 823 unique antimicrobial resistance genes among 320 broiler chickens. Analysis was performed using shotgun metagenomics—a technique for sequencing all microbial DNA in a sample—processed via the Roar Collab high-performance computing cluster.
The players
Penn State University
A public research institution with extensive agricultural science facilities including the Poultry Education and Research Center.
Roar Collab
A high-performance computing cluster utilized by researchers to manage and process large-scale metagenomic datasets.
The details
Researchers assigned 320 broiler chickens to one of four diets, comparing no additives against antibiotics, probiotics, or essential oils. The team utilized shotgun metagenomics to characterize the microbial resistome—the collection of all antimicrobial resistance genes in a microbiome—at multiple time points. These high-throughput data were subsequently analyzed using the Roar Collab high-performance computing cluster to determine which variables most heavily influenced the presence of these resistance genes.
Timeline
Researchers collected initial fecal samples on Day 1.
A second set of fecal samples was collected on Day 10.
The final collection of fecal samples occurred on Day 21.
The Tech Race
This research follows a growing effort to map the agricultural resistome using high-throughput sequencing. It marks a departure from earlier studies that focused exclusively on the efficacy of dietary additives by highlighting the dominant role of biological age in microbial development.
This research provides poultry producers with data-driven insights to refine feed strategies during specific growth phases of broiler flocks. The results indicate that dietary additives may have limited impact on resistance gene suppression compared to the inherent microbial shifts occurring as chickens age.
The takeaway
The study suggests that future efforts to control antimicrobial resistance in poultry should focus on age-specific developmental windows rather than relying on dietary additives. Researchers should monitor upcoming publications from the Roar Collab users for more detailed taxonomic breakdowns of the identified genes.
Further reading
For broader trends in agricultural genetic analysis, explore the Life Sciences archives.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Feedstuffs.
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