Microbiota: what it is and why is it important to study it?

The term “microbiota” refers to the collection of microorganisms that inhabit a specific environment at a particular moment, not to be confused with the “microbiome,” which refers to the genetic material of these microorganisms.

 

The intestinal microbiota is increasing its interest in scientific research: improperly referred to as a new human organ, it is composed of a combination of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that populate the digestive tract of animals. However, it is important not to underestimate the importance of studying organisms that inhabit water, soil, and air (Berg et al., 2020).

 

The analysis of microbiota involves a multidisciplinary approach that considers the diversity of organisms involved (fungi, bacteria, protists, and archaea), their distribution, and their interaction with the surrounding environment. The true biodiversity of microorganisms is still unknown, although it is estimated to correspond to around 10¹² microbial species. Studying them is crucial, as they have numerous applications for the development of a sustainable future.

 

• Responsible use of arable land and food production, such as introducing beneficial microorganisms that can increase agricultural yields while reducing the use of chemical fertilizers.
• For economic development through the creation of microbiome-based industries to obtain sustainable practices and products, for example, microbial biorefineries for the production of alternatives to fossil fuels, utilizing new species capable of performing chemical and physical processes more efficiently, such as using agri-food waste, and sequestering atmospheric CO₂ and producing valuable compounds (enzymes, bioplastics).
• For disease control and in the field of healthcare, ensuring food safety, controlling water quality, studying infections, as well as developing new pharmaceuticals.

 

What techniques are used to study the microbiota?

 

Historically, microorganisms, starting from their discovery in the mid-1600s, were studied by isolating species in the laboratory, observing them under a microscope, and analyzing their metabolism. However, the information that can be obtained in this way is limited (not all organisms can thrive under laboratory conditions), and many errors can occur due to the similarity of different species.

 

In addition to these methods, modern molecular biology techniques developed in the 1990s, related to DNA sequencing, have solved these problems by identifying species based on their genetic material. This can be done by obtaining DNA from isolated species or complex environments. In the latter case, an accurate picture of the present microbiota is obtained: with new sequencing technologies, the genomes (i.e., the total genetic material) of tens of thousands of microbes can be obtained in a single experiment. This allows for gathering information on the abundance of individual species in a given environment, their relationships within the microbial community, their interactions with the habitat, their evolution, and the potential applications of the species present in the energy, agri-food, and pharmaceutical industries (Gotschlich et al., 2019).

 

The Microbiota of the Euganean Thermal Mud

 

The study of the microbiota that colonizes the Euganean thermal mud during maturation has followed a similar historical path: the initial studies dating back to the 1970s, in collaboration with the University of Padua, focused on the analysis of photosynthetic organisms (or microflora), as they are abundant and responsible for the green coloration of the mature mud biofilm (Andreoli et al., 1975). Find more information, read about the thermal mud diatoms.

 

In recent decades, several species of microflora (especially cyanobacteria) have been isolated and characterized using advanced molecular biology techniques. For more information, read Cyanobacteria and mud therapy.

 

More recently, thanks to the advent of total microbiota DNA sequencing systems, it has been possible to analyze not only the microflora and cyanobacteria but also the entire specific microbial community of the Euganean mud. For more information, read about the Microbiota of the Therapeutic Euganean Thermal Muds.