Abstract
Christoph Steininger and colleagues explore how multiple infectious, autoimmune, metabolic, and neoplastic diseases have been associated with changes in the intestinal microbiome, although a cause-effect relationship is often difficult to establish. Integration of metagenomics into clinical medicine is a challenge, and the authors highlight clinical approaches that are of high priority for the useful medical application of metagenomics. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.
Highlights
The intestine is one of the most diverse and complex bacterial habitats of the human body, harboring,1,000 bacterial phylotypes [1]
N Methodological shortcomings still impede the application of metagenomics in clinical diagnostics
We highlight tasks that are of high priority from a clinical perspective for the useful medical application of metagenomics
Summary
The intestine is one of the most diverse and complex bacterial habitats of the human body, harboring ,1,000 bacterial phylotypes [1]. The identification and quantification of opportunistic pathogens in the intestinal microbiome may facilitate risk stratification in immunocompromised patients, such as in critically ill, HIV-infected or immunosuppressed (e.g., organ transplant recipients or individuals with autoimmune disease) patients. The correction of intestinal dysbiosis, the pathologic imbalance of the gut microbiota, may inhibit the development and/or delay the progression of autoimmune diseases [3,4], metabolic disorders [5], and cancer [6]. Standard analysis of the human intestinal microbiome in patients may enable the rapid identification of novel emerging infectious pathogens in fecal specimens, for example, in the case of an outbreak of Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli [8]. Our understanding of the human intestinal microbiome in health and disease has been revolutionized by the development of generation sequencing and its Research in Translation discusses health interventions in the context of translation from basic to clinical research, or from clinical evidence to practice
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