Gut microbiome and omics: a new definition to ruminant production and health

Mammalians are considered as “superorganisms” due to the presence of dense and dynamic microbiota in the digestive tract that perform a wide range of metabolically, immunologically, and physiologically crucial tasks. The composition and functions of gut microbiota have been studied using “omics” based approaches without isolation and cultivation of microbes. Omics have been used in defining host phenotypes, such as susceptibility to diseases in humans. In-depth analyses of the ruminant gut microbiome (rumen and lower gut) using “omics” will help identifying microbial biomarkers that may define production and health phenotypes/susceptibility to diseases in the future.