Complex microbial communities within the human body, constituting the microbiome, have a
broad impact on human health and disease. A growing body of research now examines the
role of the microbiome in patients with critical illness, such as sepsis and acute respiratory
failure. In this article, we provide an introduction to microbiome concepts and terminology
and we systematically review the current evidence base of the critical-illness microbiome,
including 51 studies in animal models and pediatric and adult critically ill patients. We further …