Environmental and Human Microbiome for Health

Abstract

Microorganisms are an essential part of life on the earth and can exist in association with virtually any living thing. The environmental microbiome is much more diverse than the human microbiome. It is reported that most microbes existing in the environment are difficult to culture in the laboratory. Whereas both pathogenic and beneficial microbes may be prevailing in the environment, the human body can have three categories of microbes- beneficial, pathogenic, and opportunistic pathogenic. With at least 10-fold more cells than human cells, microbes as normal flora are critical for human survival. The microbes present in the human body play a crucial role in maintaining human health, and the environmental microbiome influences the human microbiome makeup. The interaction between the environmental and human microbiome highly influences human health, however it is poorly understood. In addition, as an established infection is associated with health-seeking behavior, a large number of studies have focused on the transmission and dynamics of infectious microorganisms than the noninfectious or beneficial ones. This review will summarize how the interaction between the environmental and human microbiome affects human health and identify approaches that might be beneficial for humans to improve health by being exposed to the natural environment.

Keywords: commensal; diversity; environmental microbiome; health effects; human microbiome; nature; pathogen.

Figure 1

Factors associated with microbial dysbiosis leading to disease. A change in lifestyle and food habits associated with industrialization and urbanization, and cesarean delivery is expected to reduce humans’ microbial balance and diversity, leading to the appearance of several non-communicable diseases and ill effects in health.

Figure 2

A schematic representation of living with the environment for a diversified and balanced microbiome. A close living with the natural environment with domestic or pet animals, diverse soil, flowering plants in the yard, and close proximity of forest can facilitate the diversification and balance of human microbiota.