This scientific article was written by in collaboration with leading microbiome scientists including Microbiomes4Soy partners Angela Sessitsch and Tanja Kostic from the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and Corné M. J. Pieterse from Utrecht University Read the abstract below for more information. The full article is available Open Access here.
Abstract
Consortia of microbial isolates, also known as synthetic communities (SynComs), are increasingly used to study and harness microbe-microbe and microbe-host interactions. Since “synthetic” potentially evokes negative connotations, we propose adopting the term “Defined Microbial Community” for practical applications.
Microbiomes are increasingly studied to drive medical, environmental, and biotechnological innovations. Understanding their functions and how to modulate them is a powerful tool in tackling global challenges related to food safety and security, climate change, ecological restoration, as well as animal and human health. In recent years, microbiome research and applications have undergone a conceptual transition. Early strategies focused on the application of single strains to modulate host or environmental outcomes. However, the limited ecological stability and efficacy of these approaches have prompted a shift towards more complex, yet defined, microbial consortia that better capture the taxonomic and functional microbiome diversity1 (Box 1). For example, the application of defined root-associated consortia to Arabidopsis thaliana and crop plants were shown to improve resilience and promote growth under biotic and abiotic stress2,3. Plant growth enhancing effects of multi-species consortia were also observed in field trials4. In humans, the shift from traditional probiotics to consortia-based formulations, also referred to as live biotherapeutics, marks a significant advancement in gut health5.
Citation:
Koch, H., Clavel, T., Mayr, C. et al. From “synthetic” to defined microbial communities for clearer terminology. Nat Commun 17, 5283 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-74251-1