Microbiome in the Framework of Predictive, Preventive and Personalised Medicine

The human body is inhabited by trillions of diverse microorganisms collectively called “microbiome” or “microbiota”. Microbiota consists of bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and archaea. Microbiome demonstrates multi-faceted effects on human physical and mental health. Per evidence there is a multi-functional interplay between the whole-body microbiome composition on the epithelial surfaces including skin, nasal and oral cavities, airway, gastro-intestinal and urogenital tracts on one hand and on the other hand, the individual health status. Microbiota composition as well as an option to modulate it – together create a highly attractive operation area for the translational bio/medical research with multi-professional expertise and healthcare-relevant output in the framework of predictive, preventive and personalised medicine (PPPM/3 PM). Advanced PPPM strategies implemented in the microbiome area are expected to significantly improve individual outcomes and overall cost-efficacy of healthcare. According to the accumulated research data, corresponding diagnostic and treatment approaches are applicable to primary care (health risk assessment in individuals with sub-optimal health conditions and prevention of a disease development), secondary care (personalised treatment of clinically manifested disorders preventing a disease progression) and tertiary care (making palliation to an optimal management of non-curable diseases). In the current book, we do highlight the implementation potential of the microbiome-relevant research in the framework of predictive diagnostics, targeted prevention and treatments tailored to the individualised patient profile.