Reference entry
Microbiome
Plain-English definitions of microbiome research vocabulary — the terms you'll see across articles, testing services, and probiotic claims.
Glossary context
Defined
in the site-wide microbiome glossary
Definition
The complete collection of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, archaea) and their genetic material within a specific environment, such as the human gut.
Related terms
Microbiota
The actual living microorganisms within an environment. Often used interchangeably with microbiome, though microbiome technically includes their genes as well.
Metagenome
The collective genetic material of all microorganisms in a given environment. The human gut metagenome contains roughly 150 times more genes than the human genome.