マイクロバイオームとはヒトの体に共生する微生物（細菌・真菌・ウイルスなど）の総体のことで、近年、人や動植物の健康や疾患と密に関わるものであることが明らかになってきました。疾患の治療や予防、持続可能な農業や食品生産への応用が進められる中、事実と異なる、あるいは誤認させるような主張の存在も懸念されます。マイクロバイオームの事実を概括し、私たちの健康がどのように、そしてなぜ微生物叢に依存しているのかを説明するとともに、情報の信頼性の判断に必要な基礎知識を提供します。急速に発展するこの領域の入門書として不可欠の一冊です。
 

• Offers a balanced perspective of this important new field of science, beyond the sometimes hyped press claims
• Brings together studies of fundamental microbiology of animal and plant microbiomes with both biomedical and agricultural applications
• Explains research into developing therapies to support and restore healthy microbiomes

    
The term 'microbiomes' encapsulates an important scientific breakthrough of recent years. This is the realization that humans, other animals, and plants harbour communities of microorganisms which are mostly beneficial but can occasionally cause or exacerbate disease. Our quickly developing understanding of microbiomes is being translated into novel microbial therapies for human disease and is contributing to sustainable practices in agriculture and food production. On the flipside, there is a growing concern that some claims for microbiomes, especially in relation to human health, far exceed the scientific data.
   
This Very Short Introduction is an essential guide to the fast-moving discipline of microbiome science. It accessibly distills the key facts about our resident microbiomes, explains how and why our health and wellbeing depend on them, and provides readers with the fundamental knowledge they need to judge the reliability of claims about microbiome-based applications.