Today it is difficult not to have ever heard of microbiota and microbiome, although the concept of microbiota will surely be more familiar. flora (intestinal flora, skin, vaginal…). Until some time ago it was the term that had been used, however, as research progresses and new discoveries are made, this concept has become obsolete. Obsolete because it falls short within the great diversity of organisms that compose them.
In this post we are going to explain what the microbiota and the microbiome are and how they differ from each other, because although they are very similar concepts, they have some different nuances.
What is the microbiota?
The microbiota is the set of microorganisms that we can find in certain areas of the body such as the skin, mucous membranes or the intestine of multicellular living beings, and that live in symbiosis with the living beings where they are.
Within this we can find prokaryotic organisms (bacteria and archaea), viruses, and eukaryotic organisms such as fungi, protozoa, and algae.
As we said in the first paragraph, normally, this set of microorganisms lives in symbiosis with the living being in such a way that they provide benefits such as aiding digestion and defending ourselves from other pathogens. When alterations occur in the microbiota, diseases can appear.
What is the microbiome?
The microbiome is a concept that is still being defined, but simplifying we could say that it is the extended concept of microbiota. Is called microbiome the set of microorganisms that inhabit living beings together with chemical substances that they produce the fruit of their life cycle (metabolites) and the DNA fragments that may be dispersed in the habitat as a result of the activity of the organisms.
It does not only refer to microorganisms that live inside or on the surface of the skin of living beings, but we can also talk about plant microbiome, marine microbiome, soil microbiome, human microbiome…
Difference Between Microbiota and Microbiome
As we have been explaining, the difference between microbiota and microbiome is that the microbiota concept only refers to the set of microorganisms while within the microbiome concept the metabolites plus the DNA that may be dispersed in the ecosystem are also considered.
In summary:
- Microbiota = set of microorganisms
- Microbiome = microbiota + metabolites + relict DNA
Types of microbiota in the human microbiome
Within the human microbiota we can find bacteria in numerous parts of the human body, however, there are organs that remain free of bacteria such as blood, brain, heart… but there are others that are in continuous contact with microorganisms and for which they are essential such as skin, intestine and mucous membranes.
- Intestinal: found in the intestine, especially frequent here are enterobacteria.
- Oral: found in the mouth
- Vaginal: found in the vagina
- Cutaneous: found in the skin
- ocular: found in the eyes
- Biliary: found in bile
Role of the microbiota in health
There is more and more research that tells us about the importance of the microbiota, especially the intestinal microbiota. Recent studies link alterations in the intestinal microbiota with diseases such as diabetes, autoimmune diseases, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cancer…
The alteration in the balance of the microbiota is called disbiosis. When dysbiosis occurs, opportunistic pathogens can appear, causing different diseases from gastrointestinal to vaginal, such as candidiasis.
Therefore, it is very important to maintain a healthy and balanced diet that allows you to consume prebiotics and probiotics (here we explain it to you). Fundamentally, the consumption of fruits and vegetables is very important to avoid dysbiosis as well as avoiding toxins such as alcohol, tobacco and also sugars that contribute to unbalancing it.
The microbiota is acquired both by diet and by lifestyle and conditions, as well as by contact with our pets.