The Microbes and Social Equity working group has been working with the scientific journal mSystems for the past year to develop a special collection of articles which highlight the connections between microbiomes, microbial exposures, social structures, and political contexts, as well as ways in which social, political, or economic changes could improve the way we interact with microbes to induce positive effects on our health and our planet.

The sixth contribution has just been published, and we have a handful more currently in the peer-review process! We plan to collect 25 invited contributions by the end of this year. You can check out the entire collection as it grows using the link below.

For more real-time discussions about microbes and social equity, check out our speaker series which is currently running until May 4th. You can also check out recordings from past talks.

mSystems Special Series: Social Equity and Disparities in Microbial Exposure

• Evolution, the Immune System, and the Health Consequences of Socioeconomic Inequality
  • Graham A. W. Rook
  • Healthy development and function of essentially all physiological systems and organs, including the brain, require exposure to the microbiota of our mothers and of the natural environment, especially in early life. We also know that some infections, if we …

• Bile Acids, Gut Microbes, and the Neighborhood Food Environment—a Potential Driver of Colorectal Cancer Health Disparities
  • Patricia G. Wolf, Doratha A. Byrd, Kate Cares, Hanchu Dai, Angela Odoms-Young, H. Rex Gaskins, et al.
  • Bile acids (BAs) facilitate nutrient digestion and absorption and act as signaling molecules in a number of metabolic and inflammatory pathways. Expansion of the BA pool and increased exposure to microbial BA metabolites has been associated with increased …

• (Editor’s Pick) Twenty Important Research Questions in Microbial Exposure and Social Equity
  • Jake M. Robinson, Nicole Redvers, Araceli Camargo, Christina A. Bosch, Martin F. Breed, Lisa A. Brenner, et al.
  • Social and political policy, human activities, and environmental change affect the ways in which microbial communities assemble and interact with people. These factors determine how different social groups are exposed to beneficial and/or harmful …

• (Editor’s Pick) Introducing the Microbes and Social Equity Working Group: Considering the Microbial Components of Social, Environmental, and Health Justice
  • Suzanne L. Ishaq, Francisco J. Parada, Patricia G. Wolf, Carla Y. Bonilla, Megan A. Carney, Amber Benezra, et al.
  • Humans are inextricably linked to each other and our natural world, and microorganisms lie at the nexus of those interactions. Microorganisms form genetically flexible, taxonomically diverse, and biochemically rich communities, i.e., microbiomes that are …

• Teaching with Microbes: Lessons from Fermentation during a Pandemic
  • Megan A. Carney
  • As evidenced by classroom experiences in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, microbes are “good to teach with” not only within microbiology and related fields but across a variety of academic disciplines. Thinking with microbes is not a neutral process …

• Variation in Microbial Exposure at the Human-Animal Interface and the Implications for Microbiome-Mediated Health Outcome
  • Sahana Kuthyar, Aspen T. Reese
  • The human gut microbiome varies between populations, largely reflecting ecological differences. One ecological variable that is rarely considered but may contribute substantially to microbiome variation is the multifaceted nature of human-animal …