microbiome

[ mahy-kroh-bahy-ohm ]

noun

, Microbiology.

1. the totality of microorganisms and their collective genetic material present in or on the human body or in another environment:

   The wide diversity of species that make up the microbiome is hard to fathom.

Word History and Origins

Origin of microbiome¹

Coined 2001 by Joshua Lederberg, American molecular biologist; micro(be) + biome

Example Sentences

I see potential in the emerging field of personalized nutrition, which aims to combine new knowledge about such compounds with insights from an individual’s own genetics and microbiome to deliver customized dietary guidelines and plans.

From MIT Technology Review

One of the strangest findings was that astronauts’ gut microbiomes managed to bring space microbes found on the ISS back to Earth.

From MIT Technology Review

If so, this could be another way the ants’ microbiome makes a huge difference to the insects’ survival.

From Science News

The worm, like us, has a gut and a microbiome, but that microbiome has a mere 100,000 or so members.

From Quanta Magazine

We already know that the microbiomes of modern hunter-gatherers and modern urban dwellers look quite different from each other.

From Ars Technica

One of the most fascinating findings is that the microbiome influences body weight.

From The Daily Beast

“In the Human Microbiome Project, there were only 24 obese individuals out of 200,” Watson told The Daily Beast.

From The Daily Beast

More About Microbiome

What is a microbiome?

A microbiome is a full collection of microorganisms and the genetic material of a living being or a specific environment.

The term microbiome is most often used in reference to the human microbiome, and people will often discuss the microbiome without specifying that they mean the human variety. However, every living being has a microbiome.

The microbiome includes all of the cells that make up a living body and all of the microorganisms that exist within it that promote healthy life processes, such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. For example, there are hundreds of millions of bacteria and other organisms within the body that promote digestion, protect against pathogens and disease, and extract toxins from the body. All negative or outside organisms that enter the body also effectively become a part of the microbiome and will be considered when evaluating someone’s condition or health.

Some of the first bacteria identified as living inside the bodies of healthy humans were E. coli, which aids digestion in the large intestine, and Veillonella parvula, which converts some harmful acids in the mouth into less harmful ones. In 2007, the scientific community launched a project called the Human Microbiome Project in order to learn more about these microorganisms. 

Example: The human microbiome includes so much more than bacteria and viruses.

Where does microbiome come from?

The first records of the term microbiome come from around the early 2000s. It was coined by American biologist Joshua Lederberg and combines the term microbe, referring to microorganisms, and biome, which is a “complex community of distinctive species maintained under certain conditions in a particular region.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to microbiome?

• microbiomic (adjective)
• microbiomics (noun)

What are some words that share a root or word element with microbiome? 

• microbe
• biome
• microbiology
• microbiota

What are some words that often get used in discussing microbiome?

• bacteria
• cell
• DNA
• gene
• organism

How is microbiome used in real life?

Microbiome is almost always used in scientific contexts and discussions.

I didn’t spend years writing a book about the immune system and skin microbiome and cultural influence of soap industry marketing and ethnographic origins of the concept of “clean” in order to do a billion interviews that center on whether or not I smell.

— James Hamblin (@jameshamblin) July 30, 2020

Some people’s gut bacteria are better at breaking down food and extracting calories, which means that different people can receive different amounts of calories from the same food, depending on the type of one’s microbiome.

— Quite Interesting (@qikipedia) April 17, 2019

I don’t think LA changed me but also I just spent 10 minutes explaining probiotics to my dad and the importance of microbiome diversity.

— Zach Kornfeld (@korndiddy) November 21, 2018

 

Try using microbiome!

True or False?

A microbiome is determined only by the cells that make up the brain.