Studies of animal and plant microbiomes are burgeoning, but the majority of these focus on bacteria and rarely include microeukaryotes other than fungi. However, there is growing evidence that microeukaryotes living on and in larger organisms (e.g. plants, animals, macroalgae) are diverse and in many cases abundant. We present here a new combination of ‘anti-metazoan’ primers: 574*f–UNonMet_DB that amplify a wide diversity of microeukaryotes including some groups that are difficult to amplify using other primer combinations. While many groups of microeukaryotic parasites are recognised, myriad other microeukaryotes are associated with hosts as previously unknown parasites (often genetically divergent so difficult to amplify using standard PCR primers), opportunistic parasites, commensals, and other ecto- and endo-symbionts, across the ‘symbiotic continuum'. These fulfil a wide range of roles from pathogenesis to mutually beneficial symbioses, but mostly their roles are unknown and likely fall somewhere along this spectrum, with the potential to switch the nature of their interactions with the host under different conditions. The composition and dynamics of host-associated microbial communities are also increasingly recognised as important moderators of host health. This ‘pathobiome’ approach to understanding disease is beginning to supercede a one-pathogen-one-disease paradigm, which cannot sufficiently explain many disease scenarios.

对动物和植物微生物组学的研究正在迅速发展，但是大多数研究集中在细菌上，很少包括真菌以外的微生物。但是，越来越多的证据表明，生活在较大生物（例如植物，动物，大型藻类）上的微真核生物种类繁多，而且在许多情况下还很丰富。我们在这里介绍了一种新的“抗-偶氮”引物组合：574 * f–UNonMet_DB，可扩增多种多样的微真核生物，包括一些难以使用其他引物组合进行扩增的基团。虽然可以识别出许多微真核生物寄生虫，但无数其他微真核生物与宿主相关，例如以前未知的寄生虫（通常是遗传上的差异，因此很难使用标准PCR引物扩增），机会性寄生虫，共鸣以及其他共生和共生共生体，跨越“共生连续体”。这些发挥了广泛的作用，从发病机制到互惠共生，但大多数情况下它们的作用是未知的，并可能落在这个范围内，并有可能在不同条件下改变它们与宿主相互作用的性质。宿主相关微生物群落的组成和动态也日益被认为是宿主健康的重要调节剂。这种了解病害的“病原体组学”方法开始取代一种病原体一病的范例，这种范例无法充分解释许多疾病情况。在不同条件下有可能改变他们与宿主互动的性质。宿主相关微生物群落的组成和动态也日益被认为是宿主健康的重要调节剂。这种了解病情的“病原体组学”方法开始取代一种病原体一病的范例，这种范例无法充分解释许多疾病情况。在不同条件下有可能改变他们与宿主互动的性质。宿主相关微生物群落的组成和动态也日益被认为是宿主健康的重要调节剂。这种了解病情的“病原体组学”方法开始取代一种病原体一病的范例，这种范例无法充分解释许多疾病情况。