microbiome

noun

mi·​cro·​bi·​ome ˌmī-krō-ˈbī-ˌōm 

1

: a community of microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses) that inhabit a particular environment and especially the collection of microorganisms living in or on the human body

Your body is home to about 100 trillion bacteria and other microbes, collectively known as your microbiome.

—Carl Zimmer

… what's arguably become the hottest area of medicine: microbiome research, an emerging field that's investigating how the bacteria that live in and on our bodies affect our health.

—Sunny Sea Gold

2

: the collective genomes of microorganisms inhabiting a particular environment and especially the human body

They form one community among the many that make up the human microbiome: the full genetic complement of bacteria and other organisms at home on your skin, gums, and teeth, in your genital tract, and especially in your gut.

—Nathan Wolfe

Examples of microbiome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When the gut microbiome isn’t health, can produce less serotonin. —Dominique Fluker, Essence, 14 Sep. 2023

The microbiome, of course, is the collection of microorganisms that live throughout the human body, primarily in the small and large intestines. —Michal Lev-Ram, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2023

Bacteria Build-Up Your large intestine contains bacteria, fungi, and viruses, known as your gut microbiome. —Karen Pallarito, Health, 4 Aug. 2023

Past research has found that people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, as well as obesity, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome and Parkinson’s, have less diverse gut microbiomes compared to those without the disease. —Katie Camero, NBC News, 19 July 2023

In five studies selected for meta-analysis, the researchers found that people who took probiotics along with antibiotics boosted gut microbiome diversity by a minuscule amount—just 0.23%. —Kaitlin Vogel, Health, 16 Sep. 2023

Just like your skin, a healthy scalp needs a balanced microbiome in order for your strands to thrive. —Georgia Day, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2023

High in fiber: Which is essential to maintain good gut microbiome that helps with digestion and prevention of constipation and helps with those who have digestive health conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease. —Bianca London, Glamour, 6 Sep. 2023

Your microbiome even looks slightly different after a bowel movement, de Latour said. —Andrea Michelson, Verywell Health, 29 Aug. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

micro- + biome

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

microbiome

noun

mi·​cro·​bi·​ome ˌmī-krō-ˈbī-ˌōm 

1

: a community of microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses) that inhabit a particular environment and especially the collection of microorganisms living in or on the human body

The intestinal microbiome consists of the microorganisms that inhabit the gut.

—Clara Abraham et al., The New England Journal of Medicine

Collectively known as the microbiome, this community may play a role in regulating one's risk of obesity, asthma and allergies.

—Carrie Arnold, Scientific American

The human oral microbiome comprises all microbial species in the oral cavity.

—Naomi P. O'Grady, The Journal of the American Medical Association

2

: the collective genomes of microorganisms inhabiting a particular environment and especially the human body

As part of a new citizen-science initiative called the American Gut project, the lab sequenced my microbiome—that is, the genes not of "me," exactly, but of the several hundred microbial species with whom I share this body.

—Michael Pollan, The New York Times

Together, the genomes of these microbial symbionts (collectively defined as the microbiome) provide traits that humans did not need to evolve on their own.

—Peter J. Turnbaugh et al., Nature