People who live under the same roof share more than just a house. Whether it’s family or roommates, the microbes in your body tend to be the same, and the longer you live together, the more similar those microbiomes become. This raises the possibility that diseases associated with a dysfunctional microbiome, including cancer, diabetes and obesity, may be in part contagious. The research team analyzed the DNA of nearly 10,000 stool and saliva samples from around the world, from rural Argentina to urban China to populations in Europe and North America. They then looked for overlaps in microbial strains in the guts and mouths of family members, partners, roommates and other social contacts. The analysis confirmed a strong link between the microbiomes of mothers and children, especially early in life. During a baby’s first year of life, half of the microbial strains in their gut are shared with their mother. The degree of overlap decreased as the children got older, but did not disappear.
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