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The microbiome explored: recent insights and future challenges

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 11, pages 213–217 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

One of the most exciting scientific advances in recent years has been the realization that commensal microorganisms are not simple 'passengers' in our bodies, but instead have key roles in our physiology, including our immune responses and metabolism, as well as in disease. These insights have been obtained, in part, through the work of large-scale, consortium-driven metagenomic projects. Here, five experts in the field of microbiome research discuss the most surprising and exciting new findings, and outline the future steps that will be necessary to elucidate the numerous roles of the microbiota in human health and disease and to develop viable therapeutic strategies.

The microbiota has been linked with a wide array of host processes; what do you think have been the most surprising and valuable findings to date and why?

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Martin Blaser is at the Department of Medicine and the Department of Microbiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, New York 10016, USA. Martin.Blaser@med.nyu.edu,

    Martin Blaser

  2. Peer Bork is at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany. bork@embl.de,

    Peer Bork

  3. the Department of Medicine and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Claire Fraser is at the Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA. cmfraser@som.umaryland.edu,

    Claire Fraser

  4. Rob Knight is at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA. Rob.Knight@Colorado.EDU,

    Rob Knight

  5. Jun Wang is at the BGI, Beishan Industrial Zone, Yantian District, Shenzhen 518083, China. wangj@genomics.org.cn,

    Jun Wang

Authors
  1. Martin Blaser
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  2. Peer Bork
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  3. Claire Fraser
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  4. Rob Knight
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  5. Jun Wang
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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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FURTHER INFORMATION

American Gut

HMP

MetaHIT

my.microbes

Glossary

Framingham study

A longitudinal cardiovascular study that begun in 1948 in Framingham, Massachusetts, USA, and is still ongoing.

Longitudinal study

A study that assesses the relationship between variables over long periods of time but at regular intervals.

NHANES study

(National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey study). A set of longitudinal studies combining interviews and physical examinations that assess the health and diet of adults and children in the United States, with an aim to determine the risk factors for diseases.

Prebiotics

Substrates that are preferentially metabolized by a limited number of species and may thus be used as dietary supplements to promote targeted growth of these microorganisms.

Probiotics

Live microorganisms that confer a health benefit on the host when administered in adequate amounts.

Prospective cohort study

A longitudinal study of individuals (cohorts) who are initially assessed for their exposure to certain risk factors and then followed over time to evaluate their progression towards specific outcomes (often disease).

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Blaser, M., Bork, P., Fraser, C. et al. The microbiome explored: recent insights and future challenges. Nat Rev Microbiol 11, 213–217 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro2973

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