Host gut microbiota community (HGM)

The host gut microbiota community is a vast and diverse ecosystem of trillions of microorganisms, primarily bacteria, residing in the human gastrointestinal tract that functions as a critical metabolic organ (Thursby & Juge, 2017). It plays a fundamental role in host physiology by fermenting non-digestible dietary fibers into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), synthesizing essential vitamins such as B12 and K, and regulating the development and activity of the host immune system (Fan & Pedersen, 2021). Beyond local digestion, the microbiota influences systemic health through the gut-brain axis and the production of metabolites that enter the systemic circulation (Cryan et al., 2019). Dysbiosis, or a pathological imbalance in this community, is strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases, including Clostridioides difficile infection, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and metabolic syndromes (Guinane & Cotter, 2013). Therapeutic interventions targeting the gut microbiota include the use of probiotics, prebiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), as well as newly FDA-approved defined microbial consortia like SER-109 designed to restore ecological balance (Khanna et al., 2022). This target represents a paradigm shift in pharmacology from single-molecule inhibition to the ecological restoration of a complex biological community.

Other names

Gut microbiomeIntestinal microbiotaGut floraIntestinal microfloraGastrointestinal microbiota

Restoration of microbial diversity and ecological balance, competitive exclusion of pathogenic species, and modulation of host metabolic and immune pathways through the production of metabolites like short-chain fatty acids (Thursby & Juge, 2017; Khanna et al., 2022).