Intestinal microbiota (Gut microbiome) (GM)

The intestinal microbiota is a complex and dynamic ecosystem comprising trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses, residing within the human gastrointestinal tract. It functions as a virtual organ that is essential for host physiology, contributing to the fermentation of non-digestible carbohydrates, the synthesis of essential vitamins like B and K, and the maturation of the host immune system (NIH, 2023). Dysbiosis, characterized by a loss of microbial diversity or an overgrowth of pathogenic species, is strongly associated with local gastrointestinal disorders such as Clostridioides difficile infection and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as systemic conditions including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and even neurodegenerative diseases via the gut-brain axis (Nature Reviews Microbiology, 2022). Therapeutic strategies targeting the gut ecosystem range from broad-spectrum antibiotics and targeted probiotics to fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and recently FDA-approved microbial consortia like Vowst and Rebyota (FDA, 2023). These interventions aim to restore ecological balance, enhance the production of beneficial metabolites like short-chain fatty acids, and suppress the colonization of opportunistic pathogens (PubMed, 2021). By modulating the composition and metabolic output of this ecosystem, clinicians can influence host inflammation and metabolic health.

Other names

Gut floraGastrointestinal microbiotaIntestinal microbiomeGut ecosystem

Restoration of microbial diversity and ecological balance, competitive exclusion of pathogenic species, and modulation of host metabolic and immune pathways through the production of microbial metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids.