Use of microbiome-based biomarkers in diagnosis, prognosis, risk profiling, and precision
therapy requires definition of a healthy microbiome in different populations. To determine …

Escherichia coli is one of the most well-studied bacterial species, but several significant
knowledge gaps remain regarding its ecology and natural history. Specifically, the most …

The human microbiome is an integral component of the human body and a co-determinant
of several health conditions,. However, the extent to which interpersonal relations shape the …

Some of the densest microbial ecosystems in nature thrive within the intestines of humans
and other animals. To protect mucosal tissues and maintain immune tolerance, animal hosts …

Primates acquire gut microbiota from conspecifics through direct social contact and shared
environmental exposures. Host behaviour is a prominent force in structuring gut microbial …

Background Human-to-human transmission of symbiotic, anaerobic bacteria is a
fundamental evolutionary adaptation essential for membership of the human gut microbiota …

Different host species associate with distinct gut microbes in mammals, a pattern sometimes
referred to as phylosymbiosis. However, the processes shaping this host specificity are not …

Gut microbes shape many aspects of organismal biology, yet how these key bacteria
transmit among hosts in natural populations remains poorly understood. Recent work in …

Animal microbiomes are assembled predominantly from environmental microbes, yet the
mechanisms by which individual symbionts regulate their transmission into hosts remain …

Microbiomes are transmitted between generations by a variety of different vertical and/or
horizontal modes, including vegetative reproduction (vertical), via female germ cells …