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Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Microbiota Analysis Using Two-step PCR and Next-generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing
Published on: October 15, 2019
The Human Microbiome and Public Health: Social and Ethical Considerations
Kieran C O'Doherty1, Alice Virani1, Elizabeth S Wilcox1
1Kieran C. O'Doherty is with the Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada. Alice Virani is with the Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Elizabeth S. Wilcox is with the School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia.
Abstract:
Rapid advances in human microbiome research point to an increasing range of health outcomes related to the composition of an individual's microbiome. To date, much research has focused on individual health, with a paucity of attention to public health implications. This is a critical oversight owing to the potentially shared nature of the human microbiome across communities and vertical and horizontal mechanisms for transferring microbiomes among humans. We explored some key ethical and social implications of human microbiome research for public health. We focused on (1) insights from microbiome research about damage to individual and shared microbiomes from prevalent societal practices, and (2) ethical and social implications of novel technologies developed on the basis of emerging microbiome science.
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