The wonder of microbes and microbiomes

Microbes
Microbes are small organisms that are basically found everywhere, and that include bacteria, fungi, viruses, algae, archaea, and protozoa. They usually exist as single cells or aggregates of cells and most of the time they can only be seen through the help of a microscope. In nature, microbes are usually part of complex communities (i.e. microbiomes) and associated with humans, animals, plants, and the environment. In industrial settings, microbes often exist as individual strains that produce a particular pharmaceutical, chemical, or food product.

Microbiomes
Microbiomes are complex communities of microbes living in a particular habitat, for example the human and animal gut, soil, plant roots, ocean, and cheese. The term microbiome refers to the entire habitat, that is the microbes, their genomes, their activities including producing metabolites, and the surrounding environmental conditions.

Impact of Microbes & Microbiomes
Microbes and Microbioems are essential for life on planet Earth. They help stabilise our atmosphere, regenerate nutrients in soil, contribute to our nutrition and immune system maturation, and may even impact on our mental health. Under certain conditions, microbes and microbiomes can contribute to diseases, such as metabolic disorders including diabetes, inflammatory diseases, infectious diseases, periodontitis, neurological disorders, as well as premature labour and delivery.