title: 'Til death do us part': coming to terms with symbiotic relationships. Forward.
abstract: Symbiotic interactions of microorganisms are widespread in nature, and support fundamentally important processes in diverse areas of biology that range from health and disease to ecology and the environment. Here, David Relman discusses the selection of articles in this Focus issue, which reflects the exciting advances in our understanding of intimate partnerships between organisms and their environments.
authors.affiliation: Stanford University, and VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Building 101, Room B4-185, 3801 Miranda Avenue 154T, Palo Alto, California 94304, USA. relman@stanford.edu
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Relman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D004777:Environment; D006801:Humans; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000502:physiology; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000502:physiology*; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000382:microbiology; D014871:Water Microbiology; D020577:Wolbachia / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S