Host-associated microbiomes play an increasingly appreciated role in animal metabolism, immunity and health. The microbes in turn depend on their host for resources and can be transmitted across the host’s social network. In this Perspective, we describe how animal social interactions and networks may provide channels for microbial transmission. We propose the ‘social microbiome’ as the microbial metacommunity of an animal social group. We then consider the various social and environmental forces that are likely to influence the social microbiome at multiple scales, including at the individual level, within social groups, between groups, within populations and species, and finally between species. Through our comprehensive discussion of the ways in which sociobiological and ecological factors may affect microbial transmission, we outline new research directions for the field.

宿主相关的微生物群在动物的新陈代谢，免疫力和健康中起越来越重要的作用。微生物继而依赖于其宿主获取资源，并可以通过宿主的社交网络进行传播。在此观点中，我们描述了动物的社交互动和网络如何为微生物传播提供渠道。我们提出“社会微生物组”作为动物社会群体的微生物元社区。然后，我们考虑了可能在多个尺度上影响社会微生物组的各种社会和环境力量，包括个人层面，社会群体内，群体之间，种群与物种之间，以及物种之间的影响。通过我们对社会生物学和生态学因素可能影响微生物传播的方式的全面讨论，