Abstract:
The Human Microbiome is the collection of micro-organisms that colonize the human body. The body is thought to harbor ten times as many microbial cells as human cells, and the microbes live in a variety of communities in the mouth, skin, gut, nose, and many other niches of the body. The microbiome is beneficial, helping its host develop, protecting from infection, providing vitamins and nutrients, and performing other functions. However, when one of these communities gets out of balance, for example with overgrowth of a microbe or reduction in biodiversity, disease can result. Re-establishment of community balance can restore health. These principles promise new insights into health and disease, prevention and treatment.
