Meaning & use
human microbiome
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountabletechnicalbiologymedical
All the microorganisms, especially bacteria, that live on and inside the human body.
Grammar: Usually used with 'the': the human microbiome. It can be countable when talking about different populations, e.g. 'the gut microbiomes of twins'.
Patterns
- the human microbiome
- the gut microbiome
- the human microbiome of someone
- a healthy human microbiome
Scientists are still discovering how the human microbiome affects digestion and immunity.
Antibiotics can change the human microbiome for months after treatment.
Her research focuses on the human microbiome in infants.
nouncountabletechnicalbiology
The complete set of genetic material belonging to those microorganisms.
Grammar: In this sense, it refers to the collective genomes, often used in metagenomics.
Patterns
- sequence the human microbiome
- the human microbiome project
The Human Microbiome Project mapped the genomes of microbes from healthy volunteers.
Analyzing the human microbiome can reveal which species are present in the gut.
Word forms
| plural | human microbiomes |
|---|
Common combinations
- gut microbiome
- The gut microbiome plays a key role in breaking down food.
- human microbiome research
- Human microbiome research has grown rapidly in the last decade.
- alter the human microbiome
- Diet can alter the human microbiome within days.
- the human microbiome project
- The Human Microbiome Project was launched in 2008.
Synonyms and how they differ
- microbiota
- Microbiota refers to the community of microorganisms themselves, while microbiome includes their genes and surroundings; in casual use they are often interchangeable.
- microflora
- An older term for the microorganisms living in a particular area; it is less precise because not all are plants, and it is now less common in scientific writing.
Word family
- microbiome noun
- The collection of microorganisms in a particular environment, such as the gut or soil.
- microbial adjective
- Relating to microorganisms.
- microbiologist noun
- A scientist who studies microorganisms.
Commonly confused: human microbiome or microbiota? human microbiome or microbiome?
human microbiome vs microbiota
Microbiota means the actual organisms, while microbiome means their genetic material and the environment they live in. In everyday speech, people often use them interchangeably.
human microbiome vs microbiome
This is the general term for any environment; 'human microbiome' specifically refers to the human body.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'human microbiome' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The human microbiome refers to the microorganisms in the body, so sentence 0 is correct. Sentence 1 treats it as a medicine, sentence 2 as a vitamin, and sentence 3 as a physical object, which are all wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “human microbiome”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.