Decoding the Microbiota in Health and Disease: Molecular Mechanisms and Technological Frontiers

RecommendationsW ithin each human body exists a remarkable ecosystem comprising approximately 30-40 trillion microbial inhabitants.The majority in the gastrointestinal tract, while others colonize the skin, oral cavity, respiratory tract, and vagina.These microorganisms�including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbes�are not merely passive occupants but play an active and essential role in human biology.Since the launch of the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2007, the past two decades of research have systematically catalogued humanassociated microorganisms and established links between changes in the microbiome and a wide range of diseases, including gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases, metabolic disorders, neurological conditions, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and preterm birth.Together, these microbes form an intricate ecosystem that is essential to maintaining human health.In this Special Issue of ACS Infectious Diseases, we present a collection of research articles, letters, reviews, and viewpoints that highlight current advances and perspectives in the microbiome field.These contributions underscore the critical roles of the microbiota in infection and immunity, offer new insights into the specific mechanistic pathways through which the microbiome exerts its effects, and explore emerging technologies and innovative strategies for harnessing the microbiome to improve human health.