Overview

The invention of the microscope long ago allowed scientists to understand how microscopic organisms can cause and transmit infections in humans. Now, using genomic sequencing, researchers are discovering that communities of archaea, bacteria, fungi and viruses inside and on every person's body, known collectively as the human microbiome, do much more for people than we ever imagined.

Human microbiome communities and their genetic material far outnumber human cells and genes, and this population plays an important role in maintaining health. When it is disrupted, it can lead to serious health problems.

For example, consider what can happen when people are exposed to antibiotics. In some people, antibiotics can cause an imbalance of the normal bacterial communities and lead to overgrowth of Clostridium difficile and severe inflammation in the bowel. Reestablishing the normal microbiome through direct microbiome transplant can restore health.

In the Microbiomics Program, researchers are studying many more questions about the relationship between the microbiome and health and disease, including:

• What can the microbiome reveal about health?
• Can microbial communities in the colon be the cause for irritable bowel symptoms?
• How do gut microbes affect other parts of the body, such as the joints, liver and immune system?
• Can gut microbial metabolites be the reason that diet influences colon cancer development?
• Can genomic sequencing techniques help researchers identify organisms that cause vaginosis and reproductive health problems?
• Can an imbalance in the microbiome lead to autoimmune diseases?
• How do scientists and clinicians translate their insights about the microbiome into new diagnostic and prognostic approaches?