“The human microbiome comprises bacteria, archaea, viruses, and eukaryotes which reside within and outside our bodies. These organisms impact human physiology, both in health and in disease, contributing to the enhancement or impairment of metabolic and immune functions. Microorganisms colonise various sites on and in the human body, adapting to specific features of each niche. Facultative anaerobes are more dominant in the gastrointestinal tract, whereas strict aerobes inhabit the respiratory tract, nasal cavity, and skin surface. The indigenous organisms in the human body are well adapted to the immune system, due to the biological interaction of the organisms with the immune system over time. An alteration in the intestinal microbial community plays a major role in human health and disease pathogenesis. These alterations result from lifestyle and the presence of an underlying disease. Dysbiosis increases host susceptibility to infection, the nature of which depends on the anatomical site involved. The unique diversity of the human microbiota accounts for the specific metabolic activities and functions of these microorganisms within each body site. It is therefore important to understand the microbial composition and activities of the human microbiome as they contribute to health and disease.”

The Human Microbiome and Its Impacts on Health

Grace A. Ogunrinola, John O. Oyewale, Oyewumi O. Oshamika, and Grace I. Olasehinde

Int J Microbiol. 2020; 2020: 8045646. Published online 2020 Jun 12. doi: 10.1155/2020/8045646