Transmission of human-associated microbiota along family and social networks.

ABSTRACT: The human microbiome, described as an accessory organ because of the crucial functions it provides, is composed of species that are uniquely found in humans^1,2. Yet, surprisingly little is known about the impact of routine interpersonal contacts in shaping microbiome composition. In a relatively 'closed' cohort of 287 people from the Fiji Islands, where common barriers to bacterial transmission are absent, we examine putative bacterial transmission in individuals' gut and oral microbiomes using strain-level data from both core single-nucleotide polymorphisms and flexible genomic regions. We find a weak signal of transmission, defined by the inferred sharing of genotypes, across many organisms that, in aggregate, reveals strong transmission patterns, most notably within household

SUBMITTER: Brito IL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7450247 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature