microbiota
nounEtymology From micro- + biota.
1
The microbial community that inhabits a multi-cellular organism, whether the entire organism or a specific body surface.
- Your body’s microbiome is all the genes your microbiota contains, however colloquially the two terms are often used interchangeably.2018 March 26, Nicola Davis, “The human microbiome: why our microbes could be key to our health”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 28 Apr 2021:
- Caesarean babies eventually acquire the same mix of microbes as those born vaginally — by a year, their microbiota are usually indistinguishable.2019, Bill Bryson, The Body: A Guide for Occupants, Black Swan (2020), page 348:
- Derived terms
- ectomicrobiota, endomicrobiota, epimicrobiota, fecal microbiota transplant, fecal microbiota transplantation, microbiotal, rhizomicrobiota, xenomicrobiota
- Related terms
- microfauna, microflora, microbiome