Talk:Microbiome

Introduction doesn't mention any limited environments

As a non-biologist I found the introduction to this article obscure. Like I'll guess most readers I came to the article wanting to find information about the human biome and found only information about a "habitat" and one thing the Wiki article for habitat doesn't enlarge on is the bodies of plants or animals. I found the simpler statement in the Microbiome Journal - "studies of microbiomes colonizing humans, animals, plants or the environment" much easier to comprehend.

Indeed the first mention of "body" is not until the second paragraph of the Definitions paragraph.

Thinking about it, I realise that subconsciously I was making an association between "micro" and "micro-environment" which does not exist. It's right that the article doesn't give the impression that a microbiome only exists in limited areas. However all Wikipedia articles should be accessible to the average reader, particularly the introduction, and many people will be unaware of the rich colonies of microbiota in different parts of the body. They may not read further than the introduction and will therefore be none the wiser.

Could I request the recasting of the introduction to make it clear that the microbiomes of the bodies of animals and plants can be very different to their surroundings. Chris55 (talk) 09:26, 15 March 2023 (UTC)

Historical context of Béchamp in microbiome article

The paragraph on Antoine Béchamp documents a historically notable 19th-century theory of pleomorphism. Although Béchamp's ideas were ultimately rejected by mainstream biology, they are well-sourced and relevant for understanding historical debates on microbial variability.

Inclusion is consistent with WP:FRINGE and WP:NPOV guidelines: fringe or obsolete scientific theories may be mentioned if they are notable, sourced, and clearly presented as historical context. The section clearly states that Béchamp's model is not part of modern biology, distinguishing historical theory from contemporary microbiome research. Reliable sourcing includes the original work (Béchamp 1912/2020) and secondary scholarly analyses of historical microbiology.

This inclusion does not endorse Béchamp's theory but provides readers with factual context about alternative microbial concepts that preceded germ theory, which shaped the intellectual environment from which modern microbiome science emerged. Moonmaskart (talk) 19:40, 26 December 2025 (UTC)