A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Examining the healthy human microbiome concept
Authors: Joos, Raphaela; Boucher, Katy; Lavelle, Aonghus; Arumugam, Manimozhiyan; Blaser, Martin J.; Claesson, Marcus J.; Clarke, Gerard; Cotter, Paul D.; De Sordi, Luisa; Dominguez-Bello, Maria G.; Dutilh, Bas E.; Ehrlich, Stanislav D.; Ghosh, Tarini Shankar; Hill, Colin; Junot, Christophe; Lahti, Leo; Lawley, Trevor D.; Licht, Tine R.; Maguin, Emmanuelle; Makhalanyane, Thulani P.; Marchesi, Julian R.; Matthijnssens, Jelle; Raes, Jeroen; Ravel, Jacques; Salonen, Anne; Scanlan, Pauline D.; Shkoporov, Andrey; Stanton, Catherine; Thiele, Ines; Tolstoy, Igor; Walter, Jens; Yang, Bo; Yutin, Natalia; Zhernakova, Alexandra; Zwart, Hub; Doré, Joël D.; Ross, R. Paul; Human Microbiome Action Consortium
Publisher: NATURE PORTFOLIO
Publishing place: BERLIN
Publication year: 2024
Journal: Nature Reviews Microbiology
Journal name in source: NATURE REVIEWS MICROBIOLOGY
Journal acronym: NAT REV MICROBIOL
Number of pages: 14
ISSN: 1740-1526
eISSN: 1740-1534
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-024-01107-0
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-024-01107-0
Additional information: Correction to: Nature Reviews Microbiology https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-024-01107-0, published online 23 October 2024. In the version of the article initially published, Julie Rodriguez’s surname appeared incorrectly as Rodriquez and has now been amended in the HTML and PDF versions of the article. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-024-01145-8
Human microbiomes are essential to health throughout the lifespan and are increasingly recognized and studied for their roles in metabolic, immunological and neurological processes. Although the full complexity of these microbial communities is not fully understood, their clinical and industrial exploitation is well advanced and expanding, needing greater oversight guided by a consensus from the research community. One of the most controversial issues in microbiome research is the definition of a 'healthy' human microbiome. This concept is complicated by the microbial variability over different spatial and temporal scales along with the challenge of applying a unified definition to the spectrum of healthy microbiome configurations. In this Perspective, we examine the progress made and the key gaps that remain to be addressed to fully harness the benefits of the human microbiome. We propose a road map to expand our knowledge of the microbiome-health relationship, incorporating epidemiological approaches informed by the unique ecological characteristics of these communities.In this Perspective, Joos, Ross and colleagues reflect on current approaches and the challenges of defining a 'healthy' microbiome, and propose an updated framework for interpreting these dynamic ecosystems by incorporating concepts from epidemiology into microbiome study design.
Funding information in the publication:
This publication has been supported by the project entitled International Human Microbiome Coordination and Support Action (IHMCSA), which receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 964590.
