What organisms should be included in a HMP? What body sites?
• Ideally, the genomic sequences of all microorganisms (including bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses, and phage) found on and in the human body should be determined. Efforts should be made to include rare organisms. • All relevant body sites, including skin, the oral cavity, the intestinal tract, the female urogenital tract, the ear, and the upper respiratory tract, should be characterized. The effects of locale within each of the body sites should be addressed. • Sampling should be done to address a number of variables: • Temporal • Genetic • Environmental • Seasonal • Individual • A very important question is whether there is a “normal”; “core microbiome.”; The idea that there is a “normal”; flora may be a fallacy. Instead, there may be a spectrum of normalcy and several models of health. What new technology is needed? • Culture technology. Most bacteria are not culturable at present, and research is needed to develop new approaches to grow them. • Single-cell analysis. Devices are ne
