title: Microbiota—implications for immunity and transplantation.
abstract: Each individual harbours a unique set of commensal microorganisms, collectively referred to as the microbiota. Notably, these microorganisms exceed the number of cells in the human body by 10-fold. This finding has accelerated a shift in our understanding of human physiology, with the realization that traits necessary for health are both encoded and influenced by the human genome and the microbiota. Our understanding of the aetiology of complex diseases has, therefore, evolved with increasing awareness that the human microbiota has an active and critical role in maintaining health and inducing disease. Indeed, findings from bioinformatic studies indicate that the microbiota and microbiome have multiple effects on the innate and adaptive immune systems, with effects on infection, autoimmune disease and cancer. In this Review, we first address the important statistical and informatics aspects that should be considered when characterizing the composition of microbiota. We next highlight the effects of the microbiota on the immune system and the implications of these effects on organ failure and transplantation. Finally, we reflect on the future perspectives for studies of the microbiota, including novel diagnostic tests and therapeutics.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Surgery, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Diseases, 29 South Greene Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Bromberg
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Chemistry and Nutrition, University of Hohenheim, Gardenstrasse 30, Stuttgart 70593, Germany.
authors.forename: W Florian
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Fricke
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Diseases, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 801 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
authors.forename: C Colin
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Brinkman
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Diseases, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 801 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 802 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
authors.forename: Emmanuel F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Mongodin
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity / Q000502:physiology; D019295:Computational Biology; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000502:physiology; D064307:Microbiota / Q000276:immunology*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D014181:Transplantation Immunology
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S