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Microbiology · Chapter 1

Where Your Microbes Live

You carry roughly as many microbial cells as human ones — and different body sites host completely different communities. Tap a site to meet its normal flora.

Tap a body site

The human microbiome~38 trillion microbial cells
Mostly on your sideThe vast majority of your normal flora are harmless or helpful — they make vitamins, crowd out invaders, and train your immune system. Tap a site to see who lives there.
Tip: most healthcare infections come from a patient's own flora moved to the wrong place — e.g., gut E. coli reaching the bladder.