Reacción a "Reactions to the study exploring how the microbiome is transmitted by social contact"

This is a very interesting study with a rigorous methodology analysing the transfer between individuals of microorganisms that make up the human microbiome. Eighteen institutions and research centres from around the world have contributed to the largest and most diverse study to date on the transmission of the human microbiome. Valles-Colomer et al. confirm that the greatest exchange of strains occurs between the gut microbiome of mothers and their babies during the first year of life, and that some of these strains may remain in their offspring for long periods of time.  

In a novel way, they also observed horizontal transmission of micro-organisms between adults in close contact (people sharing a flat, partners or friends), with this transmission being very marked for micro-organisms that live in the oral microbiota, which would be transmitted by saliva.  

Many studies suggest that non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer or Alzheimer's are related to the composition of the microbiome of individuals. The possibility that these micro-organisms could be transmitted could, in the future, change the classification of these diseases from non-communicable to communicable diseases, amenable to targeted therapy against the micro-organisms responsible for the disease. To confirm these hypotheses, further studies are needed, and health and research authorities need to make a strong commitment to explore and discover the relationship between the human microbiome and health and disease.