Long-term observatory of industrialization-induced human gut microbiome changes

The human body is a rich ecological system, harbouring a multitude of microorganisms essential for host health. Yet, the microbiome that co-evolved with humans has substantially changed in modern industrialised societies. While sanitation and industrialised medical practices have unquestionably reduced infectious disease mortality and spreading, it has also resulted in a significant loss of human-associated microbial diversity, with some hypothesizing that more than half of our microbial diversity is already lost in industrial societies. Here, we study remote Matsés indian communities living in small settlements along rivers in the Amazon jungle. Their geography provides an opportunity to evaluate the relationship between geographic distance from the source of industrial resources, and the rate of industrialization, as indicated by changes in their lifestyle (focus on diet and sanitation), which in turn is expected to affect their gut microbial communities. Through repeated, longitudinal sampling of this unique resource, we monitor the progressive effects of industrialisation on microbiome and health in a real-life situation. Microbes associated to industrialisation will be isolated and functionally characterised to provide first insights in the hypothesis that microbiota restoration can mitigate industrialisation-associated diseases.