The Microbiome and Sexual Health

Abstract

Bacteria have become synonymous with infection and disease since the first description of germ theory by Lister over 150 years ago. Recent work into the microbiota, or the resident community of microorganisms present in an anatomical niche, has modernized germ theory into a far more nuanced field capable of not only interfering with biology, but also enhancing it. These studies have assessed the association between the microbiome, or the genetic material comprised by the microbiota, and various human conditions including a rapidly expanding interest in sexual function and dysfunction.