Figure 1.

Restructuring the microbiome.

Designer microbial consortia consisting of rationally chosen therapeutic interventions that can alter the microbiome composition to catalyze a change from a disease-associated state to a healthy state. (A) Engraftment can be influenced by dose titer and frequency, antibiotic preconditioning, identity and diversity of preexisting bacteria, and patient's lifestyle factors. (B) Engraftment is established via the germination of spores, rehydration of lyophilized bacteria, and subsequent growth and expansion in the host's microbiome. (C) Impacts of competition and cooperation between bacterial species on the composition and function of the host's microbiome lead to changes in local and systemic host gene expression.