The Human Microbiome

The total number of bacteria in the human body is at least 10 times greater than the number of human cells, and recent studies, particularly the efforts of the National Institutes of Health Human Microbiome Project consortium, have led to a greater understanding of the identity and distribution of the microorganisms that constitute these populations. In particular, implementation of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has helped illuminate how these bacteria contribute to, and are affected by, human health and disease. Significant progress in cataloging and characterizing these organisms and genes has been made in recent years thanks to NGS approaches, and studies have been expanded beyond those focused solely on the microbes that colonize the gut. The newest DNA sequencing platforms are making it possible to sequence the DNA of the collective genome (or metagenome) of entire communities of microbes from all body sites, at various stages of health and disease, over significant periods of time, effectively enabling the characterization of the “human microbiome.”.