Posted 29 July 2022
This article concludes:
Microbiome testing is still in its infancy. Here is a summary of some clinical takeaways that you can explain to your patients the next time they ask about the utility of microbiome tests:
- Scientists have not yet defined a healthy or normal gut microbiome that can reliably predict whether a person will develop a particular disease.
- Relying on stool samples for studying the gut microbiome is inaccurate as the microbiome in stool does not faithfully reflect the microbiome at the intestinal mucosa. The stool microbiome is stable over time and different from the luminal microbiome, which varies depending on each part of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Some commercial microbiome test reports describe the patient’s gut microbiome profile in terms of “good” and “bad” bacteria. The behavior of a particular gut microbe depends on the environment in which it lives and interactions with other commensal