Gastrointestinal and oral microbiota

The gastrointestinal and oral microbiota comprise the complex communities of bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses inhabiting the human digestive tract and oral cavity. These microbial ecosystems function as a collective metabolic organ, essential for digesting complex polysaccharides, synthesizing vitamins such as K and B12, and training the host immune system to distinguish between commensals and pathogens [1, 4]. Dysbiosis, characterized by a loss of microbial diversity or an overgrowth of opportunistic pathogens, is implicated in numerous local and systemic diseases, including Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and periodontitis [3, 4]. Therapeutic interventions targeting the microbiota range from broad-spectrum antibiotics to precision live biotherapeutic products (LBPs) and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), which aim to restore a healthy ecological state [2]. While traditionally viewed as a collection of organisms, the microbiota is increasingly treated as a unified therapeutic target for modulating host physiology and treating chronic inflammatory and metabolic conditions [1, 2]. The oral microbiota specifically serves as a reservoir for pathogens that can enter the systemic circulation, contributing to cardiovascular and neurodegenerative pathologies [3]. As a therapeutic target, the microbiota offers a unique opportunity to modulate host health through the manipulation of complex biological networks rather than single molecular pathways [1].

Other names

Gut microbiomeOral microbiomeIntestinal floraCommensal microbiotaHuman microbiome

Restoration of microbial diversity and ecological balance, competitive inhibition of pathogenic colonization, and modulation of host metabolic and inflammatory pathways through microbial metabolites.