Global Microbiome Conservancy Sequence Data

Human gut microbial diversity is diminishing around the globe, due to the spread of industrialized diets and lifestyles, which are associated with reduced microbiome biodiversity. The Global Microbiome Conservancy (GMbC) is a non-profit collaboration between scientists and communities around the world that aims to 1) preserve the full biodiversity of the human gut microbiome, 2) characterize its evolution across populations and host lifestyles and 3) investigate its interactions with the human host. We are collecting gut microbiome and human DNA samples from diverse populations around the world, from isolated groups to urbanized populations, to culture and study this essential biodiversity and to preserve it in a living "seed bank" of bacterial isolates as a long-term safeguard against future extinctions.

Human genetic data for the samples sequenced in this study can be found in phs002205.]]>
Inclusion criteria:

between 18 and 80 years old
willing and able to provide informed consent to participate in this study
healthy, i.e. no evidence of, or self-reported serious illnesses
taking either no concurrent medication, or only medications (but NOT antibiotics) to treat non-serious illnesses e.g. NSAIDs

Exclusion criteria:

currently using or used oral or intravenous antibiotics within 3 months prior to beginning the study
unwilling or unable to provide informed consent
show evidence of untreated infection e.g. Clostridium difficile
currently pregnant and/or breast-feeding
current, or history of, serious or chronic illnesses including cancer, diabetes, inflammatory bowel diseases, and asthma

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