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Microbiota-Nourishing Immunity: A Guide to Understanding Our Microbial Self
Yael Litvak1, Andreas J Bäumler1
1Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Immunity
|August 22, 2019
Summary
The human microbiome, comprising microbes and their environment, is shaped by host interactions. A new concept, microbiota-nourishing immunity, explains how this system protects against pathogens and how its weakening leads to dysbiosis.
Area of Science:
- Microbiome research
- Host-microbe interactions
- Immunology
Background:
- The microbiome includes the microbiota and its surrounding environment, encompassing the human host.
- Microbial community structure is influenced by host interactions, impacting human health.
- Existing definitions lack a framework for host-microbe interactions maintaining a healthy microbiome.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce the concept of microbiota-nourishing immunity.
- To propose microbiota-nourishing immunity as a framework for understanding host-microbe interactions.
- To define dysbiosis and homeostasis within this new framework.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual framework development.
- Literature synthesis on host-microbe interactions and immunity.
- Ecological and immunological principles applied to the microbiome.
Main Results:
- Defined microbiota-nourishing immunity as a host-microbe chimera conferring colonization resistance.
- Proposed dysbiosis as a biomarker for weakened microbiota-nourishing immunity.
- Defined homeostasis as a state of immune competence within this framework.
Conclusions:
- Microbiota-nourishing immunity provides a novel conceptual framework for microbiome research.
- This framework can elucidate mechanisms preserving a healthy microbiome.
- It offers insights into the drivers and consequences of dysbiosis.
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