An insight into Equine Microbiome!

The microbiome is the genetic material of all the microbes - bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses - that live on and inside the human body. The number of genes in all the microbes in one person's microbiome is 200 times the number of genes in the human genome.

- Jaspreet Kaur

Microbes have been an integral part of our Mecosystem since the origin of life. These tiny creatures have proved their worth to humans in various ways and they continue to do so. The latest addition to this growing list of microbial applications includes the study of microbiomes of different organisms. The microbiomic research has shown that these microorganisms play a crucial role in the proper functioning of vital systems (like digestive, immune, nervous) of multicellular organisms.

It is known that various genes present in different organisms make necessary instructions in the form of various proteins. These proteins help to carry out all the metabolic activities required for the effective functioning of the organism. But, it is not just the genetic material of an organism, which is able to narrate the entire biological story of that organism. In fact, the detailed insight about an organism's performance can be studied by the combination of organism's own genetic material as well as the genetic material of the microbes present on or inside the body of that organism.