Bacteriophage applications in the poultry industry: from current practices to next-generation technologies

SUMMARYThe poultry industry faces mounting pressure to maintain flock health and food safety while reducing reliance on antimicrobial agents. Bacteriophages, naturally occurring viruses that selectively lyse bacteria, offer a targeted intervention that can be deployed across every stage of the poultry production chain, from hatchery biosecurity to retail product preservation. This review adopts a translational, production-chain framework to evaluate the current status and industrial readiness of phage-based technologies at each stage, synthesising efficacy data against the four principal poultry pathogens (Salmonella enterica, Campylobacter jejuni, Clostridium perfringens, and avian pathogenic Escherichia coli). We map the specific regulatory approvals and commercial products already deployed in poultry processing, and analyse the practical barriers to broader on-farm adoption, including formulation stability, dose optimisation, and quality standardisation, and present emerging solutions grounded in encapsulation science and phage biobank infrastructure. Looking beyond current practices, we introduce two convergent technologies with transformative potential for poultry-specific applications: avian intestinal organoid platforms as physiologically relevant systems for phage screening and host–pathogen–phage interaction studies, and the translation of engineered bacteriophage concepts to the avian gut environment for precision pathogen management. A research roadmap organised by short-, medium-, and long-term milestones charts the transition from empirical phage therapy towards integrated precision phage management in poultry production.