WikiBiomeThe human microbiome encyclopediaRanked matches across titles, topics, categories, and article introductions.
The most abundant transition metal in the human body and arguably the most consequential metal in biology. Iron sits at the center of a paradox that drives pathology across virtually every disease domain: organisms need it for oxygen transport, energy metabolism, DNA sy…
Research summary — not medical advice. This page synthesizes published research on a mechanism-level intervention. It is not a clinical recommendation. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to diet, supplementation, or treatment.
Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters are among the most ancient and ubiquitous metal cofactors in biology, present in all domains of life. These inorganic prosthetic groups -- typically [2Fe-2S] or [4Fe-4S] configurations -- mediate electron transfer, enzymatic catalysis, and re…
An acidic microenvironment is a local drop in pH — typically into the 4.5–6.5 range — inside a tissue, organ, or ecological niche. Acidification arises from three recurring sources: bacterial fermentative metabolism that releases short-chain fatty acids and lactate (lou…
iron occupies a unique position among dietary metals: it is both an essential nutrient and a selective pressure that shapes the gut microbial ecosystem. The form, quantity, and bioavailability of dietary iron determines which microbes thrive and which are competitively …
This page addresses the practical question: how do toxic metals get into people? Metal toxicology research identifies the mechanisms of harm, but understanding exposure routes -- dietary, occupational, environmental, and consumer product-mediated -- is essential for pre…
Research summary -- not medical advice. This page synthesizes published research on why a commonly prescribed intervention may be counterproductive in this specific clinical context. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to treatment.
Warning: Clinical Disclaimer: This STOP page represents a hypothesis based on mechanistic evidence and should NOT replace clinical judgment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before modifying any treatment plan.
This knowledge-base record is being expanded from WikiBiome’s evidence graph.
Warning: Clinical Disclaimer: This STOP page represents a hypothesis based on mechanistic evidence and should NOT replace clinical judgment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before modifying any treatment plan. Iron-deficiency anemia in colorectal can…
Warning: Clinical Disclaimer: This STOP page represents a hypothesis based on mechanistic evidence and should NOT replace clinical judgment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before modifying any treatment plan. Evidence quality ratings reflect the str…
Harm potential: YELLOW — True iron deficiency anemia requires supplementation regardless of inflammatory state.
Warning: Clinical Disclaimer: This STOP page represents a hypothesis based on mechanistic evidence and should NOT replace clinical judgment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before modifying any treatment plan. Evidence quality ratings reflect the str…
Warning: Clinical Disclaimer: This STOP page represents a hypothesis based on mechanistic evidence and should NOT replace clinical judgment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before modifying any treatment plan. Evidence quality ratings reflect the str…
Warning: Clinical Disclaimer: This STOP page represents a hypothesis based on mechanistic evidence and should NOT replace clinical judgment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before modifying any treatment plan. Evidence quality ratings reflect the str…
Warning: Clinical Disclaimer: This STOP page represents a hypothesis based on mechanistic evidence and should NOT replace clinical judgment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before modifying any treatment plan. Evidence quality ratings reflect the str…
This knowledge-base record is being expanded from WikiBiome’s evidence graph.
Warning: Clinical Disclaimer: This STOP page represents a hypothesis based on mechanistic evidence and should NOT replace clinical judgment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before modifying any treatment plan. Evidence quality ratings reflect the str…
Warning: Clinical Disclaimer: This STOP page represents a hypothesis based on mechanistic evidence and should NOT replace clinical judgment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before modifying any treatment plan. Evidence quality ratings reflect the str…
This knowledge-base record is being expanded from WikiBiome’s evidence graph.
Warning: Clinical Disclaimer: This STOP page represents a hypothesis based on mechanistic evidence and should NOT replace clinical judgment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before modifying any treatment plan. Evidence quality ratings reflect the str…
Harm potential: YELLOW — True iron deficiency anemia requires supplementation.
This knowledge-base record is being expanded from WikiBiome’s evidence graph.
Iron deficiency is common and clinically significant across multiple conditions: postpartum anemia increases PPD risk 1.89-fold (RR = 1.887), low ferritin (<1 ug) increases PPD risk 3.98-fold azami 2019 anemia ppd meta analysis, iron deficiency impairs thyroid peroxidas…
A Gram-negative, aerobic, non-fermenting coccobacillus and a member of the ESKAPE group of priority pathogens (Enterococcus, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter). Acinetobacter baumannii is among the most problematic nosocomial pathogens…
WHO Priority 1: Critical. A Gram-negative, strictly aerobic coccobacillus and one of the most dangerous nosocomial pathogens on the planet. A. baumannii belongs to the ESKAPE group and causes ventilator-associated pneumonia, wound infections, and bloodstream infections …
A pathotype of escherichia coli that adheres to and invades intestinal epithelial cells, survives and replicates within macrophages, and is strongly associated with ileal Crohn's disease. Unlike classical diarrheagenic E. coli pathotypes (EPEC, ETEC, EHEC), AIEC does no…
Aeromonas is a genus of Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic bacteria found in aquatic environments and, increasingly recognized as an opportunistic gut pathogen. Several species — particularly Aeromonas hydrophila, A. veronii, and A. caviae — are associated with gast…
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that functions as a master sensor at the intersection of gut microbial metabolism, environmental chemical exposure, and immune regulation. It is expressed broadly across immune cells, intesti…
Alishewanella is a genus of Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic bacteria within the class Gammaproteobacteria. Primarily known as environmental organisms, Alishewanella species have been identified in the microbiome of deep endometriosis — both in vaginal samples and w…
An anti-aging protein that has emerged as a critical mediator between heavy metal exposure and chronic kidney disease progression. Originally discovered as a gene whose mutation caused premature aging in mice, alpha-klotho is now understood to be a multifunctional prote…
A 140-amino-acid presynaptic protein whose misfolding into insoluble fibrils and their deposition in Lewy bodies is the defining neuropathological hallmark of parkinsons disease and the broader family of synucleinopathies (including Lewy body dementia and multiple syste…
Alternaria is a ubiquitous environmental mold genus comprising over 300 species, with A. alternata as the most common human-associated species. Primarily recognized as an outdoor allergen and plant pathogen, Alternaria is increasingly documented as a component of the hu…
A non-essential metal and the most abundant metallic element in the Earth's crust. Unlike manganese, iron, or selenium, aluminum has no known biological function in humans. Its significance in metal toxicology stems from two major concerns: proven neurotoxicity at eleva…
The most common form of dementia, affecting an estimated 55 million people worldwide and projected to triple by 2050 zhang 2024 recent advances alzheimers mechanisms trials. Characterized by progressive memory loss, cognitive decline, amyloid-beta plaques, and neurofibr…
Ammonia is a nitrogen-containing product of microbial urease activity. When urease hydrolyzes urea, ammonia and bicarbonate are produced; in the microbial systems covered by WikiBiome, those products can provide nitrogen and raise local pH maier 2019 nickel microbial pa…
The process by which soluble amyloid-beta (Aβ) monomers assemble into neurotoxic oligomers and insoluble fibrillar plaques in the brain -- the defining neuropathological event of alzheimers disease. What distinguishes WikiBiome's treatment of this process from conventio…
Anaerococcus is a genus of Gram-positive, obligate anaerobic cocci within the phylum Firmicutes. It is a normal inhabitant of the human vaginal, skin, and gastrointestinal microbiota, but is recognized as an opportunistic pathogen in dysbiotic states, particularly when …
Antimicrobial metals are metal ions and metal-based materials that kill or inhibit microorganisms. Copper, silver, zinc, and gallium are the principal agents, each exploiting different aspects of microbial metal biology. What makes this field particularly relevant to Wi…
The ability of microorganisms to survive and replicate in the presence of antimicrobial agents — antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antiparasitic drugs — at concentrations that would normally inhibit or kill them. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is designated by the W…
Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health conditions globally, affecting ~280 million people (~4.8% of the world population). They encompass generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety, panic disorder, and phobias. In the WikiBiome context, anxiety f…
Arsenic is a metalloid and potent carcinogen (IARC Group 1) that ranks among the most widespread environmental toxicants affecting human health. An estimated 225 million people worldwide are chronically exposed through contaminated drinking water alone ghosh 2023 heavy …
This page serves as a cross-reference point for the existing ahr concept page, which provides comprehensive coverage of AhR signaling, microbiome-derived ligands, and immune regulation. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor is a ligand-activated transcription factor that integr…
A ubiquitous filamentous fungal genus that is both an environmental saprophyte and an opportunistic human pathogen. A. fumigatus is the primary cause of invasive aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients, while A. niger is relevant to food contamination. The genus is …
Progressive inflammatory disease of the arterial wall characterized by lipid accumulation, immune cell infiltration, and fibrous plaque formation. In the metallomics framework, atherosclerosis sits at the convergence of three interacting systems: heavy metal toxicity, g…
Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of arterial walls characterized by lipid-laden plaque formation, endothelial dysfunction, and progressive vascular occlusion. It is the pathological substrate underlying coronary artery disease, stroke, and peripheral ar…
Atopobium is a genus of obligate anaerobic, Gram-positive bacteria in the phylum Actinobacteria. The primary species of clinical relevance is A. vaginae (recently reclassified as Fannyhessea vaginae), which is one of the hallmark organisms of bacterial vaginosis (BV) an…
A neurodevelopmental condition affecting approximately 1 in 36 children (US CDC 2023 estimate), characterized by differences in social communication, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors. From a metallomics perspective, ASD presents a compelling convergence of…
Autophagy (from Greek, "self-eating") is the cellular process of degrading and recycling damaged organelles, misfolded proteins, and intracellular pathogens through lysosomal digestion. It is the cell's primary quality control mechanism -- a housekeeping system that bec…
A Gram-positive, aerobic to facultatively anaerobic, spore-forming genus that bridges environmental and human microbiology. The genus encompasses both beneficial species (B. subtilis, B. coagulans as probiotics) and pathogens (B. cereus causing food poisoning, B. anthra…
The bacterial contamination hypothesis proposes that bacterial endotoxin (LPS) contamination of menstrual blood and endometrial tissue is a key driver of endometriosis pathogenesis. First formalized by Khan et al. (2018), this hypothesis shifts endometriosis from a pure…
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal infection in women of reproductive age, affecting an estimated 29% of women globally. Rather than an infection by a single pathogen, BV represents a polymicrobial dysbiotic state -- a collapse of the protective Lactoba…
Viruses that exclusively infect bacteria. Bacteriophages -- phages for short -- are the most abundant biological entities on Earth, outnumbering bacteria in most environments by ratios of 1:1 to 10:1. In the human gut, the phageome represents a powerful but underexplore…
A Gram-negative obligate anaerobe and the most clinically significant member of the Bacteroides genus. B. fragilis occupies a unique dual position in gut microbiology: as a non-toxigenic commensal (NTBF), it produces polysaccharide A (PSA) that shapes immune tolerance; …
Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron is one of the most abundant and metabolically versatile commensals of the human gut, routinely cited as a model organism for studying host-microbe symbiosis. Its genome was one of the first human gut bacterial genomes fully sequenced, and su…
A Gram-negative obligate anaerobe that exemplifies the commensal-pathobiont spectrum. B. vulgatus is a common component of the healthy gut microbiota, yet is significantly enriched in colorectal cancer and depression, suggesting a context-dependent pathogenic potential.…
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Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a premalignant condition in which the normal squamous epithelium of the distal esophagus is replaced by intestinal-type columnar epithelium (intestinal metaplasia). It is the primary risk factor for esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), a cancer w…
A class of Gram-negative bacteria within the phylum Proteobacteria that has emerged as a causal risk factor for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder through Mendelian randomization studies. Betaproteobacteria includes genera with notable metal tolerance -- particularly wi…
Bifidobacterium adolescentis is a Gram-positive, obligate anaerobic species within the phylum Actinobacteria and the dominant Bifidobacterium species in the adult human gut. It is a specialist degrader of resistant starch and dietary fiber, producing acetate and lactate…
Bilophila wadsworthia is a Gram-negative, obligate anaerobic, sulfite-reducing bacterium that has emerged as a key pathobiont linking high-fat diets, taurine metabolism, hydrogen sulfide production, and inflammatory disease. Its unique metabolic niche -- using taurine-c…
Structured microbial communities encased in a self-produced extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix. Biofilms are the predominant mode of bacterial and fungal growth in chronic infections, device-associated infections, and the gut. From a metallomics perspective,…
Bipolar disorder is a chronic neuropsychiatric condition characterized by recurrent episodes of mania (or hypomania) and depression, affecting approximately 1-2.4% of the global population. It carries significant morbidity -- reduced life expectancy by 10-15 years, high…
A heavy metal traditionally considered safe enough for over-the-counter gastrointestinal remedies (Pepto-Bismol, De-Nol), bismuth is re-emerging as a potent antimicrobial synergist. Its key property: Bi3+ competes with Fe3+ for binding sites on siderophores and bacteria…
A genus of spirochete bacteria transmitted by Ixodes ticks, best known as the causative agent of Lyme disease -- the most common tick-borne illness in the Northern Hemisphere. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato comprises approximately 20 genospecies, with B. burgdorferi se…
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, with approximately 2.3 million new cases annually. While genetic, hormonal, and lifestyle factors are well-established risk determinants, the metallomic dimension reveals a consistent pattern of trace element d…
Breast milk is the most effective single intervention for NEC prevention. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) — the third most abundant component of breast milk — are selectively metabolized by Bifidobacteria, establishing the protective neonatal microbiome. Formula-fed …
A genus of Gram-negative intracellular pathogens causing brucellosis, the most common bacterial zoonosis worldwide. Brucella species depend on nickel-activated urease for gastrointestinal survival during the initial phase of infection, and urease immunization has been s…
Burkholderiales is an order of Gram-negative Betaproteobacteria that includes environmentally versatile genera such as Ralstonia, Burkholderia, and Sutterella. Many members are notable for their metal resistance mechanisms, which enable survival in heavy metal-contamina…
Cadmium is a toxic non-essential heavy metal (IARC Group 1 carcinogen) with a biological half-life of 17--30 years in mammals, primarily accumulating in the renal cortex via proximal tubular reabsorption of the Cd-metallothionein complex rasin 2025 cadmium exposure heal…
Cambialistic enzymes are enzymes that can function with more than one metal cofactor, switching between metals depending on environmental availability. The term derives from the Latin cambium ("exchange") and describes a remarkable adaptation: rather than being locked i…
Campylobacter is a genus of Gram-negative, microaerophilic, spiral-shaped bacteria. C. jejuni is the most common bacterial cause of foodborne gastroenteritis worldwide and a trigger for post-infectious Guillain-Barré syndrome (molecular mimicry between Campylobacter LOS…
The leading bacterial cause of diarrheal disease worldwide, with an estimated 400-500 million cases annually. C. jejuni is notable in the metallomics context for possessing a nickel-dependent [NiFe] hydrogenase essential for colonization but lacking urease -- a striking…
An opportunistic fungal pathogen whose relationship with metals is multifaceted: C. albicans can biosorb heavy metals from its environment, heavy metal exposure promotes its virulence in immunocompromised hosts, and metal nanoparticles are being developed as antifungal …
Candidozyma auris is the current name for NCBITaxon:498019. Liu and colleagues established the combination in 2024 as MycoBank MB 848169; Candida auris Satoh & Makimura 2009 is its basionym, not a separate species ncbi taxonomy candidozyma auris index fungorum candidozy…
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) -- encompassing atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, hypertension, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and stroke -- is the leading cause of death globally. The gut-heart axis has emerged as a central paradigm linking microbial metabo…
Catalase is a heme-iron enzyme that decomposes hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. In microbial peroxide defense, it acts downstream of superoxide dismutase: superoxide dismutase converts superoxide to hydrogen peroxide, and catalase removes that hydrogen peroxide …
Caulobacter is a genus of Gram-negative obligate aerobic Alphaproteobacteria, with C. crescentus serving as one of the premier model organisms for studying bacterial cell biology. Found primarily in oligotrophic freshwater environments, Caulobacter is not a gut commensa…
Celiac disease is a chronic autoimmune condition triggered by dietary gluten (gliadin proteins from wheat, barley, and rye) in genetically susceptible individuals (HLA-DQ2/DQ8, carried by ~30-40% of Europeans but penetrant in only ~1% of carriers). Gluten exposure cause…
Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor disability in childhood, affecting 2-3 per 1,000 live births allen 2021 multi organ dysfunction cerebral palsy. Characterized by non-progressive disturbances in movement and posture arising from injury to the developing brain…