Microbiota

Microbiota refers to the community of microorganisms—including bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists, and viruses—that exist within a specific environment or host, such as the human gut, skin, or respiratory tract[1][5]. In humans, the microbiota is essential for maintaining physiological homeostasis, particularly influencing nutrition, metabolism, immune modulation, colonization resistance against pathogens, vitamin production, and even communication along the gut-brain axis[1][5][9]. Dysbiosis, or disruption of the normal microbiota, is increasingly recognized as a contributor to a wide variety of diseases, including infections, inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer[5][6][8]. While not a single molecular target, the modulation of microbiota composition—using probiotics, prebiotics, antibiotics, bacteriophages, or fecal microbiota transplantation—represents a novel and evolving area of therapeutic intervention, albeit with significant complexity and safety considerations[2][6][8].

Other names

Human microbiotaGut microbiotaCommensal microbiotaResident microbiotaNormal floraHost-associated microbial communityMicroflora

Restoration or alteration of microbial community diversity/composition; Suppression of pathogenic species (subtractive therapy); Stimulation of beneficial commensals (additive therapy); Modulation of host immune response via microbial metabolites; Competitive exclusion/colonization resistance; Reestablishment of homeostasis in dysbiosis