For ages, disease detectives have been guided by the principle that any illness can be traced back to a single pathogen, Origin Koch’s postulates (a pathogen, a disease). But scientific evidence is revealing many exceptions to that rule. Many complex diseases in human and animals, in fact, could have multifactorial aetiology. including disruptions to the microbial communities that make up the intestinal microbiota. Researchers recently investigated this link in shrimp to determine the origins of a disease known as white feces syndrome, or WFS. the most lethal disorder affecting shrimp production today. Comprehensive multi-omics analyses revealed dramatic differences between the microbiota of healthy shrimp and shrimp with WFS. Diseased shrimp showed both lower microbial richness and lower microbial diversity. These changes compromised the shrimp’s ability to breakdown and absorb nutrients. The findings could help farmers find ways to preserve shrimp numbers . and they lend support for the growing view that complex diseases have complex origins, microecological Koch’s postulates (an intestinal microbiota dysbiosis, a disease).