Dairy Microbiota

“Dairy Microbiota” focuses on the diversity, ecology, functions, and dynamics of microbial communities associated with milk, dairy animals, farm and processing environments, and dairy products. The Section welcomes studies of beneficial, commensal, fermentative, spoilage-associated, and pathogenic microorganisms, including those associated with mammary dysbiosis, mastitis, and intramammary infections.

The Section covers culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches for characterizing bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses, bacteriophages, and other components of dairy-associated microbial communities. Studies addressing microbial interactions, host–microbiota and host–pathogen relationships, mammary and gastrointestinal microbiota, microbial succession, environmental sources of contamination, and microbiota modulation in dairy systems are particularly encouraged.

Genomic, metagenomic, and other molecular approaches used specifically to characterize dairy-associated microorganisms and microbial communities are welcome. The Section also considers studies on antimicrobial resistance, virulence traits, biofilm formation, fermentation performance, and microbial indicators of animal health, product quality, safety, and sustainability. Fundamental and applied studies involving cattle, goats, sheep, buffalo, and other dairy species are within the scope of the Section.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Milk microbiota and microbial ecology;
• Teat-, mammary gland-, and udder-associated microbiota;
• Mammary dysbiosis, mastitis-associated microorganisms, and host–microbiota interactions;
• Microbiota of dairy-farm environments and environmental reservoirs of infection;
• Microbiota of raw and processed milk and dairy products;
• Fermentation microbiology and starter, adjunct, and non-starter microbial communities;
• Culture-dependent and sequencing-based analyses of dairy-associated microbiota;
• Genomic, metagenomic, and functional characterization of dairy-associated microorganisms;
• Antimicrobial resistance and genomic epidemiology of dairy-associated microorganisms;
• Biofilms, microbial persistence, and hygienic risks in dairy environments;
• Microbial safety, spoilage, and determinants of shelf life;
• Functional microorganisms, probiotics, and bioprotective cultures;
• Microbial biomarkers of animal health, milk quality, and product typicity.