If Joshua Lyte could emphasize one key point regarding the microbiome, it’s that bacteria are not dumb bugs. They actively participate in animals’ stress response and are influenced by it.

“It's a host-microbe bidirectional communication dialogue,” Lyte said. “That host-microbe bidirectional dialogue is, in part, mediated by stress-related neurochemicals.”

However, the microbiologist in Poultry Production and Product Safety Research with the USDA Agricultural Research Service says when it comes to microbiota research today, it’s mainly been a “fishing expedition.” Lyte told the audience during the 2024 Kemin Intestinal Health Symposium, there needs to be a move towards starting with “function-driven hypotheses” or an “evidence-based framew...