Gut and oral microbiota

The gut and oral microbiota are complex communities of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi, that reside in the human gastrointestinal tract and oral cavity. These ecosystems perform vital functions such as fermenting dietary fibers into short-chain fatty acids, synthesizing essential vitamins, and training the host immune system to distinguish between commensals and pathogens (NIH, 2023). Dysbiosis, or the disruption of these microbial balances, is strongly associated with local diseases like periodontitis and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as systemic conditions including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (Nature Reviews Microbiology, 2021). Therapeutic targeting of the microbiota involves the use of antibiotics to eliminate harmful species, prebiotics and probiotics to encourage beneficial growth, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to reset the entire ecosystem. Recent clinical successes include the approval of live biotherapeutic products (LBPs) like SER-109, which utilize defined bacterial consortia to prevent recurrent Clostridioides difficile infections (FDA, 2023). The emerging concept of the gut-oral axis further emphasizes how oral dysbiosis can contribute to gut inflammation and systemic disease progression through the translocation of oral microbes (Journal of Oral Microbiology, 2022).

Other names

Human microbiomeCommensal floraGastrointestinal and oral floraMicrobiotaIntestinal microbiota

Restoration of microbial diversity, competitive exclusion of pathogens, and modulation of host immune and metabolic pathways.