Navigating the microbiome in veterinary practice

At the dvm360 2026 Fetch Charlotte conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, Callie Harris, DVM, explored the vital role of the microbiome in patient care, framing it as a dynamic "theatre of activity" essential to modern veterinary medicine.

Throughout her interview, she highlighted how the microbiome’s sheer abundance and unique manipulability offer clinicians a powerful lever for optimizing animal health, and more.

Transcript

Callie Harris, DVM: Yes, so I'm Dr Callie Harris, and I'm a small animal veterinarian and also a Purina veterinarian. I'm based in Atlanta. My clinical background is emergency medicine, and I made that transition into industry almost a decade ago. I still practice on the side every other weekend, and I wear a lot of different hats as a veterinarian for Purina.

dvm360: You described the microbioma as more than just bacteria. What are the other components of this "theatre of activity," and why is their inclusion sometimes considered controversial?

Harris: Yes, so this is a great question, and so probably the microorganism that we pay the most attention to is going to be bacteria. The reason why is because it's going to be in the greatest abundance. It's what we can manipulate, navigate, shift change right? To help our patients to optimize their health. But then there are some other microorganisms, so that's going to include viruses, and that's the controversial one, because viruses aren't considered living but then you also have archaea, you have protozoa, you have fungus, and so all of this is going to be a part of that microbiome and that theatre of activity.

Did you know that dvm360’s 2026 Veterinary Heroes Recognition Program is accepting nominations until April 30th? You can nominate anyone in the veterinary clinic, including nutritionists like Harris, client-service representatives, oncologists, and everyone in between. Nominate your hero here today!