Microbiome

The varied community of microorganisms that live in different parts of the body, particularly the gut, is referred to as the human microbiome. These microorganisms are mostly bacteria, but they can also be viruses, fungi, and archaea. These microbial communities are vital for immune regulation, nutrition synthesis, digestion, and pathogen defense. Metagenomics research has shown that homeostasis depends on a healthy, diverse microbiome, whereas dysbiosis, or imbalances in the microbiome, is linked to a variety of illnesses, such as obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, allergies, and neuropsychiatric disorders. The field of microbiome research is growing quickly, providing new information on diet-microbe interactions, probiotic treatments, and personalized medicine.

Microbiome Transplants for Skin, Lung, and Metabolic Diseases

Microbiome-based therapies are emerging as promising approaches for skin, lung, and metabolic diseases by restoring microbial balance, modulating immune responses, and targeting disease-associated dysbiosis, although most applications remain investigational outside recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection. Microbial transplantation, probiotics, engineered commensals, and metabolite-based interventions are expanding therapeutic possibilities while highlighting important challenges related to safety, engraftment, and regulatory oversight.

The Effect of Intermittent Fasting on the Gut Microbiome

Drug Metabolism and Microbiome

Vaginal Microbiome and Premature Birth

Alzheimer's Disease and the Microbiome

The Microbiome of a Newborn

How Gut Fungi and Archaea Influence Human Health

Is There a Link Between Migraine and the Gut Microbiome?

Conjunctiva microbiota

Microbiome-Host Cell Interactions

Human Microbiome Project (HMP)

Insight into the Skin Microbiome

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How Does the Diet Impact Microbiota?

How “Fad” Diets Affect the Gut Microbiota

Do Serotonin and Antidepressants Affect the Microbiome?

Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (SVOCs) and the Microbiome

Achievements of the Human Microbiome Project

Effects of a Gluten-Free Diet on the Gut Microbiota

Microbiome and Cancer

Antibiotics and the Microbiome

Parkinson's Disease and the Gut Microbiome

Is There a Brain Microbiome?

Disease Susceptibility and the Microbiome

Can you Treat a Food Allergy by Altering the Gut Microbiome?

Is Coffee Good for the Gut?

Oral Microbiota

Human Microbiome

What is the Human Virome?

Microbiome and Disease

Gut Microbiota

How Artificial Sweeteners Disrupt the Gut Microbiome, Or Do They?

The Microbiome and Aging

Scalp Microbiome Explained: What’s Living on Your Scalp and Why It Matters

Gut Bacteria and Autism Development

How Does Your Diet Affect your Gut Microbiome?

Genetic Factors that Influence Bacterial Diversity in the Human Gut

Fecal Microbiota Transplant Technique

Ovarian Microbiome Overview: Fertility, PCOS, and the Gut–Ovary Axis

Fecal Microbiota Transplant

What Role Does the Immune System and Microbiome Play in Health and Disease?

Fermented Foods and Gut Health

What is Vaginal Microbiome?

Risk Factors for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth

Skin Microbiota

What Role do Microbiomes Play in Urinary Tract Infections?

Does the Microbiome Interact with the Human Endocrine System?

The Gut–Brain–Skin Axis: How Diet and Gut Health Influence Mood, Skin, and Aging

Fecal Microbiota Transplant Regulation

Menopause and the Microbiome

Latest Microbiome News and Research

Advanced tools and new leadership drive Single Cell Genomics Center into the future

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences is excited to announce the appointment of new leadership - as well as new tools, analytical services, and a bold vision for the future - for the Single Cell Genomics Center.

2 Sep 2026

Bacterial protein fragment corisin found to drive pulmonary fibrosis

A bacterial protein fragment called corisin drives the process of pulmonary fibrosis by infiltrating and disrupting the cell's quality-control system, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Mie University in Japan found in a new study.

2 Sep 2026

Cellular atlas offers clues to childhood Crohn’s treatment response

Researchers have created a detailed map of childhood Crohn's disease before and after treatment to help understand progression of the disease.

1 Sep 2026

Antifungal medication may reduce inflammatory bowel disease symptoms

A commonly used systemic antifungal medication may help reduce symptoms in a subset of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by restoring a healthier gut microbiome, according to a preliminary study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

1 Sep 2026

Study links human gut bacteria to levels of key chemicals in the brain

The neuroactive potential of bacteria living in the human gut is associated with levels of key chemicals in the brain, according to a new study from the University of Surrey and the University of Roehampton.

1 Sep 2026

Immunotherapy shows potential for treating rising gynecological tumors

Gynecological tumors, including cervical cancer (CC), endometrial cancer (EC), and ovarian cancer (OC), represent a significant global health burden for women.

1 Sep 2026

Could the type of fiber children eat matter for their developing gut microbiome?

A recent study found that different dietary fibers can shape the composition and activity of the gut microbiome during early childhood, with xyloglucan, arabinoxylan, and pectin increasing short-chain fatty acid production in laboratory fermentation experiments. Some fibers also supported gut barrier measures and altered inflammatory responses, while observational data linked higher pectin intake with greater microbial diversity in young children.

31 Aug 2026

Breastmilk from cannabis users showed differences, but cannabis may not be the whole story

A narrative review found that maternal cannabis use may be associated with differences in breastmilk fat, protein, lactose, and the immune factor secretory immunoglobulin A, but evidence comes primarily from only two human studies and remains limited and inconsistent. The authors stress that maternal diet, food security, socioeconomic circumstances, and other forms of adversity could confound these associations and should be incorporated into future research.

31 Aug 2026

A personalized elimination diet changed the gut microbiome in people with migraine

In a 12-week randomized, sham-controlled trial of 98 adults with migraine, eliminating IgG-positive foods altered gut microbial composition and produced a greater reduction in serum zonulin than a sham elimination diet. The microbial changes were associated with previously reported reductions in CGRP and IL-6 and improvements in migraine and sleep, although the authors emphasized that these mechanistic links remain exploratory.

31 Aug 2026

Probiotics for mental health? A new review finds promising signals and major gaps

This narrative review examines how psychobiotics may influence anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia through gut-brain pathways involving neurotransmitters, inflammation, immune regulation, gut barrier function, and stress signaling. Specific Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains showed encouraging effects, but wide differences in strains, doses, populations, and study designs currently limit clinical translation.

28 Aug 2026

Scientists reviewed 20 edible and medicinal fungi for clues to better prebiotics

A review of 20 non-toxic edible and medicinal fungal species found that their polysaccharides can resist digestion, interact with gut microbes, and influence microbial metabolites linked to intestinal and metabolic health. The evidence suggests potential benefits for conditions including colitis, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, although most findings currently come from laboratory and animal studies.

27 Aug 2026

Gut microbiome atlas maps how bacteria establish themselves and shift in inflammatory bowel disease

Researchers created a microbiome-wide atlas mapping more than seven million colonization factor genes across 4,716 human gut microbial species, revealing three putative strategies linked to metabolism, stress resistance, and microbial communication. Applying the framework to inflammatory bowel disease showed that colonization-factor profiles can provide a compact, biologically interpretable view of disease-associated microbiome changes.

27 Aug 2026

Maternal immune response to urinary tract infection may drive preterm birth risk

A new study published in Science Translational Medicine shows that the increased risk of preterm pregnancies associated with urinary tract infection (UTI), is linked to the body's immune response to the infection rather than to the bacteria themselves.

26 Aug 2026

Phytoene in tomatoes may help protect against fatty liver disease

New study suggests a lesser-known compound in tomatoes may help protect against fatty liver disease, which affects more than 1 in 3 American adults.

26 Aug 2026

Gut bacteria may send different biological signals in Parkinson’s disease

A new study from the University of Oulu suggests that gut bacteria may send different biological signals in Parkinson’s disease.

26 Aug 2026

Scientists found a distinct gut microbiome pattern in people with symptomatic diverticular disease

A multicenter Japanese study found that symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease (SUDD) was associated with reduced gut microbial diversity, increased abundance of the Ruminococcus gnavus group, and depletion of Coprococcus and other butyrate-producing bacteria. Predictive microbiome analysis also identified enrichment of pathways linked to exopolysaccharide biosynthesis and the cell cycle, although the observational design means these associations cannot establish causality.

25 Aug 2026

Researchers traced lifelong obesity resistance in mice back to an early microbial encounter

Natural wild-derived microbiota protected mice against diet-induced obesity across sexes, genetic backgrounds, and age by increasing energy expenditure and promoting a thermogenic program in brown adipose tissue. The effect depended on the immune system’s initial encounter with the microbiota and required CCR2-associated myeloid activity, revealing a long-lasting microbiota-immune-brown fat pathway.

25 Aug 2026

The diet-Alzheimer’s connection is more complicated than “eat this, avoid that”

A mini-review finds that dietary patterns may influence Alzheimer’s disease through interconnected pathways involving neuroinflammation, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, blood-brain barrier dysfunction, homocysteine, and the gut-brain axis. The authors argue that genetics, sex, age, physical activity, and socioeconomic context may modify these relationships, supporting more individualized approaches to nutrition research and dementia prevention.

25 Aug 2026

Researchers systematically map interactions between common gut bacteria

Understanding how bacteria influence one another is essential for understanding how microbial communities are formed and maintained.

24 Aug 2026

Disrupted brain-immune signaling may help drive neurodegeneration

A Cell perspective argues that neurodegeneration can emerge from disrupted communication between neural and immune networks, with peripheral immunity, microglia, and gene-regulatory programs all shaping disease processes. The authors propose that restoring immune homeostasis and recalibrating neuroimmune circuits could create new therapeutic and diagnostic opportunities, while emphasizing that many mechanisms remain unresolved in humans.

24 Aug 2026