![]() 69 days after first sampling, range 35–404 days). To evaluate within-subject stability of the microbiome, 131 individuals in these data were sampled at an additional time point (mean 219 days and s.d. A self-collected stool specimen represented the microbiota of the lower gastrointestinal tract, and three vaginal specimens were collected from the vaginal introitus, midpoint and posterior fornix. Four skin specimens were collected from the two retroauricular creases (behind each ear) and the two antecubital fossae (inner elbows), and one specimen for the anterior nares (nostrils). Nine specimens were collected from the oral cavity and oropharynx: saliva buccal mucosa (cheek), keratinized gingiva (gums), palate, tonsils, throat and tongue soft tissues, and supra- and subgingival dental plaque (tooth biofilm above and below the gum). Women were sampled at 18 body habitats, men at 15 (excluding three vaginal sites), distributed among five major body areas. Adult subjects lacking evidence of disease were recruited based on a lengthy list of exclusion criteria we will refer to them here as ‘healthy’, as defined by the consortium clinical sampling criteria (K. Similar content being viewed by othersĪ total of 4,788 specimens from 242 screened and phenotyped adults 1 (129 males, 113 females) were available for this study, representing the majority of the target Human Microbiome Project (HMP) cohort of 300 individuals. These results thus delineate the range of structural and functional configurations normal in the microbial communities of a healthy population, enabling future characterization of the epidemiology, ecology and translational applications of the human microbiome. Metagenomic carriage of metabolic pathways was stable among individuals despite variation in community structure, and ethnic/racial background proved to be one of the strongest associations of both pathways and microbes with clinical metadata. The project encountered an estimated 81–99% of the genera, enzyme families and community configurations occupied by the healthy Western microbiome. We found the diversity and abundance of each habitat’s signature microbes to vary widely even among healthy subjects, with strong niche specialization both within and among individuals. Accordingly, to characterize the ecology of human-associated microbial communities, the Human Microbiome Project has analysed the largest cohort and set of distinct, clinically relevant body habitats so far. Much of this diversity remains unexplained, although diet, environment, host genetics and early microbial exposure have all been implicated. ![]() Studies of the human microbiome have revealed that even healthy individuals differ remarkably in the microbes that occupy habitats such as the gut, skin and vagina. ![]()
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