The Human Microbiota in Health and Disease An Ecological and Community-based Approach

• Main Author: Wilson, Michael 1947 April 12- (Author)
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: Boca Raton, FL CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group 2019
• Subjects: Microbiota > physiology; Dysbiosis > epidemiology
• Online Access: Click Here to View Status and Holdings.

 A human being consists of a mammalian component and a multiplicity of microbes, collectively referred to as the "microbiota" or "microbiome," with which it has a symbiotic relationship. The microbiota is comprised of a variety of communities, the composition of each being dependent on the body site it inhabits. This community variation arises because the numerous locations on a human being provide very different environments, each of which favors the establishment of a distinct microbial community. Each community consists of bacteria, fungi and viruses with, in some cases, archaea and/or protozoa. It is increasingly being recognized that the indigenous microbiota plays an important role in maintaining the health of its human host. However, changes in the overall composition of a microbial community at a body site, or an increase in the proportion of a particular species in that community, can result in disease or other adverse consequences for the host