Opinion of an international panel of experts on the clinical use of microbiome testing.

Abstract

The international panel of experts has issued a joint consensus opinion on the possibilities of clinical use of gut microbiome analysis with an unequivocal conclusion: The microbiome is an important component of the human body, and its condition is indisputably related to human health. However, the methodology of microbiome composition analysis has not yet been standardized and the interpretation of the results regarding the health of the individual is not yet sufficiently conclusive. Therapeutic counseling based on the results of microbiome testing is strongly discouraged. Further research is required for widespread use in clinical practice.