The Long-Term Stability of the Human Gut Microbiota

Inheritance Guts We know little about the stability of the constituent microbiota in the human gut or the extent to which the gut microbiota are a potential target for long-term health interventions. Faith et al. (p. 10.1126/science.1237439 ) analyzed the fecal microbiota of 37 individuals and found that, on average, 60% of bacterial strains remained stable for up to 5 years and many were estimated to remain stable for decades.