"A new frontier of basic human biology has opened up, which is changing our understanding of what constitutes the human body. This new knowledge is fuelling a paradigm shift from the dominant, 20th century view that viruses, bacteria and fungi operated independently to cause disease. Now, we are beginning to view a more complex and nuanced interpretation with increased recognition of the importance of commensalism, synergy and balance of microbiota in human health. In this commentary we hope to briefly summarise studies into the bacterial and viral microbiome and how this shifting paradigm affects epidemiology."

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