Why diversity matters in the human microbiome sciences

Human genomes are 99.9% identical, yet gut microbiomes and viromes are remarkably individualized. This microbiome variation may underpin individual differences in gut health and disease, including health disparities whose causes are often unknown. Unfortunately, the vast majority of characterized human microbiomes are from participants of European ancestry. This bias limits our understanding of the diversity of human microbiomes and viromes across the diversity of all of us. Relative to BMI, sex, or age, our studies find that self-identified race and ethnicity is an important factor persistently associated with microbiome variation across studies. The distinguishing aspects of the variation span bacterial and viral taxa and gene functions spanning carbohydrate active enzymes and antibiotic resistance. Notably, geography and diet were not sufficient to explain the variation across self-identity groups. Disentangling microbiome diversity across the diversity of humans is an important imperative for potentially modulating and/or predicting social and environmental factors and microbiome compositions that might contribute to the onset and/or prevention of health disparities.

About the speaker

Seth Bordenstein, PhD, Director of the One Health Microbiome Center, Professor of Biology and Entomology

Penn State University

As a recognized thought leader and scientist who studies the centrality of microorganisms to the biosphere and human health, Dr. Bordenstein has peered into the world of microorganisms that dwell inside animals for the past 25 years. His philosophy to science is research the important keystones that we should already know about in textbooks or apply in the clinic, and his research specialties span the extraordinary utility of microbes to control mosquito-borne diseases, the secrets of microbiome diversity across the diversity of humans, and the major trends of host-associated microbiomes across the animal kingdom. These interests align with the distinguished One Health Microbiome Center that Dr. Bordenstein directs at The Pennsylvania State University. As one of the largest and most venerable organizations in the field, the Center is composed of over 500 members who develop and execute complex and often transformative projects related to the microbiome sciences across agricultural, environmental, and human health. Dr. Bordenstein is a Professor in the Departments of Biology and Entomology as well and the former and founding Director of the worldwide HHMI-initiated science education program Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project that brings biodiversity, biotechnology, and bioinformatics directly into the classroom. He is the recipient of the 2014 Jeffrey Nordhaus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, 2014 Chancellor’s Award for Research, 2018 Chancellor Faculty Fellow Award from Vanderbilt University, 2020 Genetics Society of America Award for Excellence in Education, 2020 Centennial Endowed Professorship, 2022 Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Endowed Chair in Microbiome Sciences, and a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher since 2023. There has never been a more important time to learn the story of Earth’s microbes and how they change both our perspective of nature and our identity of where we belong in it. Dr. Bordenstein is keen to continue to expand his research and education portfolio and develop new partnerships with academia, industry, private foundations, and donors.