Description
The human microbiome is increasingly being shown to influence health and disease and for this reason is often referred to as the ‘forgotten organ’. All the surfaces of the human body exposed to the environment, including the skin, gastrointestinal and respiratory systems and urogenital tract are colonised with microorganisms.
The microbiome refers to the full complement of microbes (including bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa), their genes, genomes and their surrounding environmental conditions. Microbiota diversity describes the quantity of different species present and provides an indication on how evenly they are distributed within the community. In general, high microbial diversity is associated with a healthy gut microbiota while low diversity is considered a marker of dysbiosis (microbial imbalance) in the gut and has been implicated in autoimmune disease, obesity, gastrointestinal and cardio-metabolic conditions