HOST MICROBIOMES. “It has long been known that every multi-cellular eukaryotes individual carries huge numbers of microbes on every available surface, in every orifice, and sometimes endosymbiotically within cells. Recent studies have demonstrated that these associated microbiomes often play essential roles in the normal physiology and function of the host, contributing positively to the host’s fitness and affecting how it interacts with its environment.”
https://standardsingenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40793-016-0180-8