Gut Microbiota
A section of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607).
Section Information
The gut microbiota, a complex community of trillions of microorganisms residing in the human gastrointestinal tract, plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health. It influences various bodily functions, including digestion, immune response, and even mental health through the gut–microbiota–brain axis. Over the last decade, it has become evident that the development of microbiota imbalance, known as dysbiosis, is linked to numerous health issues, such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, diabetes, and even neurological and psychological disorders. In addition, a balanced gut microbiota plays a role in supporting the absorption of nutrients and protection against pathogens.
With the advent of metagenomics, questions surrounding the composition of the microbiota have begun to be addressed, and associations between the development of dysbiosis and alterations in the composition of the microbiota can now be analysed. Furthermore, the importance of specific bacterial species in maintaining a healthy microbiota and their roles in various physiological processes are being increasingly understood. However, given the extremely broad range of metabolic functions across the hundreds of bacterial species found in the gut microbiota, a mechanistic understanding is key to identifying the actual functionalities of the different families and species in the consortia.
In animal hosts, the gut microbiota plays an equally crucial role in maintaining health. Studies on the gut microbiota of animals have revealed important insights into microbial ecology and the interactions between the microbiota and the host. Significant attention has been paid to the gut microbiota of farm animals, with a focus on raising healthy animals, particularly regarding associations with improvements in feed conversion ratios and protection against pathogens. Similarly, the gut microbiota of companion animals and its associations with various health issues have attracted researchers' interest.
The "Gut Microbiota" Section will focus on research questions related to microbial ecology within microbiota communities, the functionalities of microbiota members, their metabolic and immunological interactions with the host (both human and animal), and the role of the gut microbiota in health and disorders. The Editorial Board will review all manuscripts submitted for publication in this section; articles that fall outside of the scope of the subject matter listed here may be referred to another section of Microorganisms.
Keywords
• Microbial community genetics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics
• Interaction within the microbiota
• Metabolic interaction with the host
• Inflammatory diseases
• Interaction with the immune system
• Microbial biodegradation of nutrients and xenobiotics
• Microbial ecology
• Microbial functions in the different habitats within the gut
• Metabolic flux analysis
• Analysis of functionalities by stable isotope probing (DNA, RNA and protein)
• Model systems for studying microbiome biology
• Novel technologies for the analysis of structure and function of the microbiota
Editorial Board
Topical Advisory Panel
Special Issues
Following special issues within this section are currently open for submissions:
- Gut Microbiota in Health and Diseases: The Role of Pro-/Pre-/Syn-/Post-Biotics in the Gut–Liver–Brain Axis (Deadline: 15 June 2026)
- Effects of Diet and Nutrition on Gut Microbiota (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Gut Microbiota and Metabolic Disease Pathogenesis (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Exploring the Gut–Brain Axis in Dementia: Biomarkers, Microbiota, and Machine Learning Approaches (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- State-of-the-Art Gut Microbiota in the USA (2026) (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- State-of-the-Art Gut Microbiota in Italy (2025, 2026) (Deadline: 31 July 2026)
- Advances in Gut Microbiota–Host Interactions: Microbial Mechanisms, Modulators, and Translational Perspectives (Deadline: 31 July 2026)
- Probiotics, Live Biotherapeutic Products (LBPs) and Postbiotics: Insights into Host–Microbe Interactions (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Interactions Between Gut Microbiota and Its Host in Health and Diseases (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Tackling Gut Parasites: A One Health Perspective (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Disorders of Gut–Brain Interaction and the Connection with Consuming Processed Foods (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Gut Microbes and Probiotics (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Gut Microbiota Axes and Human Health (Deadline: 1 October 2026)
- Deciphering Host–Parasite Dynamics: Exploring Epigenetic, Transcriptional, and Molecular Mechanisms in Intestinal Parasitic Infections (Deadline: 30 October 2026)
- Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Humans and Animals (Deadline: 30 October 2026)
- Probiotics in Human Health and Disease (Deadline: 30 October 2026)
- Advances in Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Food Bioactives, Gut Microbiota and Host Health (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- The Microbiome–Gut–Brain Axis (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Probiotics, Gut Microbiota, and Health (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Gut Microbiota and Diseases (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Probiotics: The Current State of Scientific Knowledge (2nd Edition) (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Latest Review Papers in Gut Microbiota 2026 (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Interactions Between Intestinal Microbiota and Host (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Probiotics and Gut Microbiome Dynamics in Health and Disease (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Gut Microbiota: Linking Nutrition to Chronic Disease (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Neuropsychiatric Disorders and the Gastrointestinal Tract (Deadline: 30 May 2027)
Topical Collections
Following topical collections within this section are currently open for submissions: