Aha! The microbiome and gut flora are terms that are often used interchangeably, but they refer to slightly different concepts. We explain it briefly and succinctly – and in an easy-to-digest way.
The microbiome
This term refers to the totality of all microbial communities that inhabit an organism, including bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microorganisms. The microbiome includes the microorganisms themselves, their genes and the environment in which they interact.
Although the term is often used specifically in the context of the human intestinal tract, microbiomes exist in many different environments of the body, such as the skin, mouth, respiratory tract, and genital area.
The intestinal flora
This is an older term traditionally used to describe the community of microorganisms that inhabit the human intestinal tract. It focuses primarily on bacteria, although the intestine is also colonized by other microorganisms.
The term “flora” is borrowed from botany and is now considered somewhat outdated because it does not fully capture the diversity and dynamics of the microbial communities in the human body.
Summary
Although “gut flora” and “gut microbiome” are often used synonymously, the microbiome is the more comprehensive term that includes the entire diversity of microbial life forms as well as their genetic information and interactions.
Intestinal flora traditionally refers only to the bacterial components of the intestinal tract. In more recent scientific discussions, the term microbiome is preferred to emphasize the complexity and biological importance of these communities.
A question from the BTC community
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Juggling with terminology: Do you know what the GALT is? And what it has to do with the gut and immune system? You can find out in this article here.