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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center » Cell Wall Biology and Utilization Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #422398
Research Project: Developing Strategies to Improve Dairy Cow Performance and Nutrient Use Efficiency with Nutrition, Genetics, and Microbiology

Location: Cell Wall Biology and Utilization Research

Title: Looking beyond the rumen: Uncovering opportunities to improve health and performance by considering the whole gastrointestinal tract

Author
item COSTELLO, MARGARET - University Of Wisconsin
item McClure, Jennifer
item OLSON, ELENA - University Of Wisconsin
item MANTOVANI, HILARIO - University Of Wisconsin
item RICKE, STEVEN - University Of Wisconsin

Submitted to: Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/16/2026
Publication Date: 4/29/2026
Citation: Costello, M.K., Mcclure, J.C., Olson, E.G., Mantovani, H.C., Ricke, S.C. 2026. Looking beyond the rumen: Uncovering opportunities to improve health and performance by considering the whole gastrointestinal tract. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1128/mmbr.00057-25.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/mmbr.00057-25

Interpretive Summary: The dairy and beef industries face many issues that require multifaceted solutions. As cattle are heavily reliant on their rumen and gastrointestinal tract to convert forage into usable energy for the host, most research has focused on the impact of the rumen under different dietary and health conditions. However, as producers search for cost-effective solutions to methane emissions, acidosis, and poor health during early life development, it is necessary to also consider the lower gut. This review highlights opportunities to harness the lower gut to improve performance and health while encouraging future research. Small changes to feed and management practices can have large impacts on costs. Therefore, developing feeding and management practices that benefit lower gut function may reduce the burden of several key issues faced by dairy and beef producers today.

Technical Abstract: Modulating the lower gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is an untapped opportunity for improvement in cattle production. The microbial communities across the GIT are closely related to host function and structure, impacting digestion and feed efficiency, the immune response, growth, and methane emissions. In this review, the characteristics of each GIT location are discussed and compared to better understand how host structure and the microbial communities interact within and between GIT locations. There are several major issues faced by industry that are impacted by the lower GIT (duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum, and large intestines), including methane emissions, acidosis, and early life development. As there continues to be a push for environmental sustainability, improved food safety, reduced economic losses related to health concerns, and efficient early life development, exploring the less understood contributions of the lower GIT is crucial. Finally, this review will explore increasingly convenient and affordable sampling and sequencing techniques that will transform our understanding of the bovine GIT.