[The human microbiome proofed by the Anthropocene: from correlation to causality and intervention]

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Human Health
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Human activities significantly impact biodiversity and climate, but effects on microbial diversity, especially the human microbiota, are less understood.
• Metagenomics enables detailed microbial cataloging, revealing reduced bacterial richness and diversity in human microbiota, particularly in industrialized regions.
• Factors like antibiotic overuse, dietary changes, and the 'global exposome' contribute to this microbial decline, termed 'missing microbes'.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of human activities on microbial diversity, particularly within the human microbiota.
• To understand the consequences of reduced microbial diversity, including the development of dysbiosis.
• To explore the potential causal links between microbial dysbiosis and the rise of non-communicable diseases.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing large-scale metagenomics for comprehensive microbial cataloging of the human microbiota.
• Analyzing data for bacterial richness and diversity, especially in the intestinal tract.
• Employing experimental animal models and controlled clinical interventions for causality assessment.

Main Results:

• Established reduction in bacterial richness and diversity in human microbiota, linked to industrialized regions.
• Characterized dysbiosis as erosion of shared bacterial species and proliferation of pathobionts.
• Identified a correlation between dysbiotic microbiota and increased risk of non-communicable diseases.

Conclusions:

• Human activities are driving a decline in microbial diversity, leading to dysbiosis.
• Dysbiosis is associated with the emergence of non-communicable diseases like asthma, obesity, and autoimmune disorders.
• Establishing causality requires further experimental and clinical research, paving the way for 'microbial medicine'.