Microbial Endocrinology

There has been accelerating recognition that the field of microbial endocrinology provides a theoretical basis with which to propose and examine new biological mechanisms extending from susceptibility to infectious disease to food preferences. This is not surprising given the recognition that the microbiome plays a leading, if not central role, in the determination of health and pathogenesis of a number of disease states, many of which had not previously been thought to have a microbial component. As such, microbial endocrinology which represents the intersection of microbiology and endocrinology provides for a new theoretical framework which will interest scientists and clinicians across a wide spectrum.