Tim A. McAllister, Ph. D.

Research Scientist, Ruminant Nutrition & Microbiology

Current research and/or projects

Evaluation of Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in livestock from a one Health Perspective
Impact of Canadian Beef Cattle Production on Biodiveristy
Role of the Canadian Beef Industry in the maintenance and preservation of carbon stocks in agricultural systems
Impact of performance enhancing technologies on greenhouse gas emissions from beef production systems.
Evaluation of the use of enzymes to enhance the utilization of feeds by ruminants.
Assessment of the potential of Biochar added to beef cattle diets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture
Development of methods to control the rate of cereal grain fermentation in beef cattle.
Characterization of the effects of tannins on cellulose digestion in ruminants.
Characterization of the digestive properties of cereal grains in beef cattle.
Evaluation of the role of ruminal fungi in feed digestion in ruminants.
Estimation of greenhouse gas emissions in beef cattle production systems.
Strategies for mitigation of fecal shedding of Escherichia coli O157:H7 by cattle.
Quantification and characterization of methane emissions arising from livestock production.
Composting as a means of disposal of animal carcasses and for containment of biohazardous agents.
Investigation on the stability of prions in compost
The use of metagenomics to develop mitigation strategies for Escherichia coli O157:H7 colonization in cattle

Research and/or project statements

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in livestock from a One Health perspective, strategies for mitigation of E. coli O157:H7 throughout the beef production chain, including bacteriophage therapy, passive immunotherapy, electrolyzed oxidizing anode water, management strategies, and dietary interventions. Interactions of microbiomes in food safety, feed quality and enteric methane emissions. Development of methods to characterize and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from beef cattle production systems in enteric methane emissions, and the implications of land use change for carbon sequestration and biodiversity in beef cattle production systems. Characterization of the digestive properties of cereal grains and the use of by-products in beef cattle diets and development of methods to enhance the ensiling of cereal forages and that value of low quality forages. Prevention of pasture and feedlot bloat in cattle; composting as a means of disposal of animal carcasses for containment of biohazardous agents; assessing the fate of transgenic DNA ingested by livestock in genetically modified crops used as feeds; characterization of effects of tannins on cellulose digestion by ruminants; potential uses of plant extracts and probiotics as alternatives to antibiotics in livestock production. His collaborations have generated over 800 peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Education and awards

Ph.D. Ruminant Nutrition / Microbiology (with distinction) (1991) - University of Guelph, Ontario

M.Sc. Animal Biochemistry (1987) - University of Alberta, Edmonton

B.Sc. Agriculture (with distinction) (1985) - University of Alberta, Edmonton

Canadian Society of Animal Science Fellowship Award (2018)
Canadian Beef Industry Award for Outstanding Research and Innovation - presented by the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) (2016)
H.R. MacMillan Laureate in Agriculture – University of Guelph (2015)
Public Service Award of Excellence – Scientific Contribution - Public Service of Canada. The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada (2014)
The Governor General of Canada - Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Nominated by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (2012)
American Society of Animal Science / American Feed Industry Association Award in Ruminant Nutrition Research (2010)
Canadian Society of Animal Science Award for Excellence in Nutrition and Meat Science (2008)
Nobel Peace Prize (as a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shared this prize with former US Vice-President Al Gore) – awarded for raising international awareness of Greenhouse Gases and Global warming (2007)
AAFC Minister’s Gold Harvest Award for 2005 (individual award).
Alberta Agriculture Performance Excellence (AAPEX) Award for Outstanding Teamwork – Silver Recipient – for work on the Alfasure Project Research Team (2005)
Alberta Agriculture Performance Excellence (AAPEX) Award for Outstanding Teamwork – Silver Recipient – for work on the Biostel Project Research Team (2005)
Canadian Society of Animal Science Award for Technical Innovation in Enhancing Production of Safe Affordable Food (2004)
AAFC Minister’s Gold Harvest Award (as part of www.foragebeef.ca team) (2003)
Canadian Society of Animal Science Canadian Animal Industries Award for Excellence in Extension and Public Service (2000)
AAFC Ag Excellence Award for Contribution to Canadian Agriculture (1998)
Canadian Society of Animal Science Outstanding Young Scientist Award (1996)

International experience and/or work

The Canadian Cattlemen's Association Expert Advisory Committee on E. coli O157:H7(2001- present)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations LEAP (Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance) Group -The Chair of the Biodiversity Technical Advisory Committee
World Health Organization (WHO), member of the expert advisory committee on strategies to reduce Shiga toxin producing E. coli in the food production chain

Key publications

Lee, C., Zaheer, R., Munns, K., Holman, D.B., Van Domselaar, G., Zovoilis, A., McAllister, T.A. (2023). Effect of Antimicrobial Use in Conventional Versus Natural Cattle Feedlots on the Microbiome and Resistome. Microorganisms, [online] 11(12), http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11122982
2023 - View publication details
to follow
2023 - View publication details
Yang, W.Z., Lima, P., Ramirez, S., Schwandt, E., McAllister, T.A. 2023.Impact of a phytogenic feed additive on growth performance, feed intake and carcass traits of beef steers. Applied Animal Science. in press.
2023 - View publication details
Published by Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation
Mar 2023
ISBN 978-1-4601-5240-9
© 2023 Government of Alberta.
This publication is issued under the Open Government Licence – Alberta (http://open.alberta.ca/licence).
This publication is available online at https://open.alberta.ca/publications/9781460152409
2023 - View publication details
Zaidi, S., Zaheer, R., Poulin-Laprade, D., Scott, A., Diarra, M. S., Church, D., Topp, E., Van Domselaar, G., Zovoilis., A. and McAllister T.A. 2023. Comparative Genomic investigation of Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis across One-Health Sectors. AMR-One Health Consortium Second Annual Retreat. Banff Alberta
2022 - View publication details
Nan, Y., Rodas-Gonzalez, A., Stanford, K., Nadon, C., Yang, X., McAllister, T., Narváez-Bravo, C. (2022). Formation and Transfer of Multi-Species Biofilms Containing E. coli O103:H2 on Food Contact Surfaces to Beef. Frontiers in Microbiology, [online] 13 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.863778
2022 - View publication details
Klassen, L., Reintjes, G., Tingley, J.P., Jones, D.R., Hehemann, J.H., Smith, A.D., Schwinghamer, T.D., Arnosti, C., Jin, L., Alexander, T.W., Amundsen, C., Thomas, D., Amann, R., McAllister, T.A., Abbott, D.W. (2021). Quantifying fluorescent glycan uptake to elucidate strain-level variability in foraging behaviors of rumen bacteria. Microbiome, [online] 9(1), http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40168-020-00975-x
2021 - View publication details
Holman, D.B., Klima, C.L., Gzyl, K.E., Zaheer, R., Service, C., Jones, T.H., McAllister, T.A. (2021). Antimicrobial Resistance in Enterococcus Spp. Isolated from a Beef Processing Plant and Retail Ground Beef. Microbiology Spectrum, [online] 9(3), http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/Spectrum.01980-21
2021 - View publication details
Nair, J., Lima, P.M.T., Abdalla, A.L., Molnar, L.J., Wang, Y., McAllister, T., and Geddes, C.M. 2021. Kochia (Bassia scoparia) harvest date impacts nutrient composition, in vitro degradability, and feed value more than pre-harvest herbicide treatment or herbicide resistance traits. 2021 American Society of Agronomy (ASA) – Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) – Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) International Annual Meeting Nov 07-10, 2021. Salt Lake City, UT. (Poster Presentation).
2021 - View publication details
Owens, J.L., Thomas, B.W., Stoeckli, J.L., Beauchemin, K.A., McAllister, T.A., Larney, F.J., Hao, X. (2020). Greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from stored manure from beef cattle supplemented 3-nitrooxypropanol and monensin to reduce enteric methane emissions. Scientific Reports, [online] 10(1), http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75236-w
2020 - View publication details
Shay et al (2020) Bait-capture metagenomics for detection of antimicrobial resistance genes and plasmid markers in livestock and a mock community. International Conference on Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology Ottawa - Virtual 2020/07/13
2020 - View publication details
Terry, S.A., Ribeiro, G.O., Conrad, C.C., Beauchemin, K.A., McAllister, T.A., Gruninger, R.J. (2020). Pretreatment of crop residues by ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) alters the temporal colonization of feed in the rumen by rumen microbes. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, [online] 96(6), http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiaa074
2020 - View publication details
Ribeiro, G.O., Gruninger, R.J., Jones, D.R., Beauchemin, K.A., Yang, W.Z., Wang, Y., Abbott, D.W., Tsang, A., McAllister, T.A. (2020). Effect of ammonia fiber expansion-treated wheat straw and a recombinant fibrolytic enzyme on rumen microbiota and fermentation parameters, total tract digestibility, and performance of lambs. Journal of Animal Science, [online] 98(5), http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaa116
2020 - View publication details
Ma, Z., Stanford, K., Bie, X.M., Niu, Y.D., McAllister, T.A. (2020). Effects of Beef Juice on Biofilm Formation by Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli on Stainless Steel. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, [online] 17(4), 235-242. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/fpd.2019.2716
2020 - View publication details
Challis, J.K., Cantin, J.L., Curtis, A.W., Sura, S., Shade, S., Giesy, J.P., McAllister, T.A.,Jones, P.D. and Larney, F.J. 2020. Environmental fate of melengestrol acetate, trenbolone acetate, and ractopamine in beef cattle feedlots Poster Abstr., 57th Annual Alberta Soil Science Workshop, February 19-20, 2020, Lethbridge, AB.
2020 - View publication details
Carlos M. Romero, Xiying Hao, Jen Owens, Hongjie Zhang, Erasmus Okine, Abby-Ann Redman, Paul Hazendonk, Tim A. McAllister. Enhancement of manure composting by biochar: An emerging benefit to the use of engineered carbon in animal feeding. 57th Alberta Soil Science Workshop. Lethbridge AB, Feb. 18-20, 2020.
2020 - View publication details
Nordi, W.M., Marti, S., Gellatly, D., Meléndez, D.M., González, L.A., McAllister, T.A., Fierheller, E.E., Caulkett, N.A., Janzen, E., Schwartzkopf-Genswein, K.S. (2019). Effect of preemptive flunixin meglumine and lidocaine on behavioral and physiological indicators of pain post-band and knife castration in 6-mo-old beef calves. Livestock Science, [online] 230 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2019.103838
2019 - View publication details
Azad, E., Derakhshani, H., Forster, R.J., Gruninger, R.J., Acharya, S., McAllister, T.A., Khafipour, E. (2019). Characterization of the rumen and fecal microbiome in bloated and non-bloated cattle grazing alfalfa pastures and subjected to bloat prevention strategies. Scientific Reports, [online] 9(1), http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-41017-3
2019 - View publication details
Terry, S.A., Redman, A.A.P., Ribeiro, G.O., Chaves, A.V., Beauchemin, K.A., Okine, E., McAllister, T.A. (2019). Effect of a pine enhanced biochar on growth performance, carcass quality, and feeding behavior of feedlot steers. Translational Animal Science, [online] 4(2), http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/tas/txaa011
2019 - View publication details
Cameron, A., Zaheer, R., McAllister, T.A. (2019). Emerging Variants of the Integrative and Conjugant Element ICEMh1 in Livestock Pathogens: Structural Insights, Potential Host Range, and Implications for Bacterial Fitness and Antimicrobial Therapy, 10 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.02608
2019 - View publication details