Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (gold), which are commonly found on the skin.FLICKR, NIAID
A study published in Genome Biology this week (September 15) offers more evidence that genetics help determine the composition of microbial communities across the human body.
The body’s microbial communities have been extensively cataloged, and intriguing compositional differences found. To investigate the relationships between these organisms and their host bodies, Ran Blekhman from the University of Minnesota and his colleagues used data from the Human Microbiome Project (HMP), a National Institutes of Health program that aimed to map the microbial makeup of healthy individuals using genome sequencing.
Genotype data for the host humans was not officially collected as such during the HMP, but Blekhman’s team was able to extract genetic information from “human contamination” collections. All told, the team gathered genomic data from 93 individuals ...
