Numerous bacteria, viruses, and fungi live together in our body. The place where the most microorganisms reside is the stomach, but these microorganisms also live in colonies on the skin, nose, lungs, and genitals. The greatest contribution to the human body is to maintain homeostasis. When an abnormality occurs in the microbial community, physiological problems occur. In particular, when the microbiome of infants is destroyed, it affects the whole body, increasing the possibility of autoimmunity, allergies, metabolic diseases, and even cancer.
The international academic journal ‘Science’ has selected ‘whole body microbial community’ as the special theme of the latest issue published on the 27th of this month. In this special edition, six articles summarize the role of the microbiome in the oral cavity, brain, skin, and stomach, and the results of recent studies on the effect of the microbiome on the formation of immunity in infants.
The study of double skin is revealing that the microbial community is essential for the skin barrier function, which is the main role of the skin. Studies have also found that the microbiome of the skin also affects distant organs such as the brain, lungs and stomach. Oral studies have also shown that changes in the microbiome in the oral cavity can exacerbate a variety of diseases in other organs, including colorectal cancer, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease.
The microbial community of the stomach also plays a key role in the health of the human stomach as well as diseases occurring throughout the body by making various metabolites and signaling molecules. However, the mechanism for this is still largely unknown.
A review paper included in the special feature investigated how the microbial community is formed immediately following birth in newborns, and whether this is maintained throughout life, not only in newborns, but also following they grow up. Through this study, in addition to the genetic immunity inherited from parents, the role of environmental immunity formed following birth was understood, and the relationship with diseases caused by various environmental changes such as industrialization was investigated.
The findings in this special feature suggest that the microbial community has a profound impact on human health. A clear understanding of this will provide insight into the prevention and treatment of various diseases.
