Gunther Antonissen

Gunther Antonissen is appointed as chairholder of the Chair Poultry Health Sciences at Ghent University. Prof. Antonissen received a Master in Veterinary Medicine at Ghent University (Belgium) in 2011. He received a PhD in Veterinary Sciences at Ghent University in 2015, having studied the predisposing effect of the mycotoxins deoxynivalenol and fumonisins on necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens. As a postdoctoral researcher, he investigated the impact of mycotoxins and feed additives on the intestinal physiology and microbiota. Prof. Antonissen currently has more than 45 scientific papers in international peer-reviewed journals and is a well-known speaker at international events.

The research of the group of Gunther Antonissen is multidisciplinary, focusing on the “Poultry one health paradigm”: including a better understanding of the pathogenesis of infectious and non-infectious diseases, improving diagnostics, and demonstrating the efficacy and safety of prevention and treatment strategies. Current research is related to mycotoxins (e.g. impact on animal and human health, interaction of mycotoxins and infectious diseases, mechanism of action and safety of detoxifying agents), gut health (alternatives to antibiotics, diagnostics), and host-pathogen interaction.