Comment on Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Mar 15;108 Suppl 1:4623-30. Although much has become known about the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), our understanding remains incomplete. As a consequence, IBD conditions are chronic debilitating states without cure. A recent study elegantly describes a mechanism by which host inflammatory responses can be modulated and modified. A series of in vitro and in vivo studies, employing complementary animal models of gut inflammation, illustrates how modification of cell surface molecules on a probiotic bacterium can influence host innate immune responses and, as a result, alter inflammatory events. The article under evaluation provides important new information on the mechanisms by which specific probiotic organisms may be able to be attenuate gut inflammation in individuals with IBD.