A new laboratory opened at the University of Cape Town to accelerate research on microbiomes in Africa.
A human’s microbiome includes trillions of microorganisms that live in and on the body and there’s compelling evidence linking disruptions in the balance of bacteria to human health — including someone’s risk of contracting diseases.
And while there’s vast diversity in microbiomes across the African continent, it’s significantly underrepresented in global research and databases — much of the research has been from the United States and Europe, said professor Jo-Ann Passmore, lead of the Vaginal Microbiome Research Consortium for Africa.