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Core Microbiome

المؤلف:  Patrick R. Murray, Ken S. Rosenthal, and Michael A. Pfaller

المصدر:  Medical Microbiology (2026)

الجزء والصفحة:  10th E ,P 5-6

2026-10-21

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Most individuals share a core microbiome, arbitrarily defined as the species that are present at a specific site in 95% or more of individuals. The greatest numbers of shared species are present in the mouth, followed by the nose, intestine, and skin, and the fewest shared species are found in the vagina. Additionally, the small numbers of species that comprise the core microbiome are the most numerous, representing the majority of the total population, whereas the remaining portion of the population (secondary microbiome) consists of small numbers of many species that may not be widely shared by individuals. This would imply that the members of the core microbiome are critically important, providing essential functions that must be retained for normal metabolic and immunologic activities, and the functions provided by the secondary microbiome are also critically important but can be provided by a variety of organisms. In other words, although there is variation of species among individuals, there is less variation in the genetic composition at each site. The taxonomic diversity of a population is great, but the functional properties are highly conserved (functional redundancy) in microbiomes associated with health. This is not surprising if we consider that the microbiome is a community that exists in a symbiotic relationship with its host, providing needed metabolic functions, stimulating innate immunity, and preventing colonization with unwanted pathogens. Thus interpersonal variations of the microbiome can exist in healthy individuals as long as the needed functions are satisfied.