Bacteriome

Bacteriome refers to the collective community of bacteria occupying a defined environment, such as a host organism, a particular organ, or an ecosystem. It denotes the bacterial component of a broader microbiome and includes commensal, symbiotic, and pathogenic species encountered in that niche. The bacteriome is dynamic, varying with geography, age, diet, health status, and environmental exposures.

In humans, the gut bacteriome is the best studied example, but bacteriomes are also characterized in the skin, oral cavity, vagina, and in environmental contexts such as soil, water, and plant tissues. Composition is taxonomically diverse and often dominated by major bacterial groups appropriate to the habitat, for example Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes in the mammalian gut, or Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria in soil and rhizospheres. The specific arrangement influences metabolism, nutrient processing, vitamin synthesis, and the capacity to modulate host immunity and barrier function. Bacteriomes also contribute to colonization resistance against pathogens and can impact development and disease risk.

Research methods include 16S rRNA gene sequencing, shotgun metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, and metabolomics, along with culture-based approaches for obtaining isolates. Study faces challenges such as sampling bias, contamination, and the difficulty of linking community structure to function.

Understanding bacteriomes provides insight into health, disease, and ecosystem processes. It supports strategies to manipulate bacterial communities, such as probiotics or microbiome-informed interventions in medicine and agriculture.