The human upper respiratory tract (URT) offers a variety of niches for microbial colonization. Local microbial communities are shaped by the different characteristics of the specific location within the URT, but also by the interaction with both external and intrinsic factors, such as ageing, diseases, immune responses, olfactory function, and lifestyle habits such as smoking. We summarize here the current knowledge about the URT microbiome in health and disease, discuss methodological issues, and consider the potential of the nasal microbiome to be used for medical diagnostics and as a target for therapy.

中文翻译：

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健康和疾病中上呼吸道的微生物组。

人类上呼吸道 (URT) 为微生物定植提供了多种生态位。局部微生物群落是由 URT 内特定位置的不同特征形成的，而且还受到与外部和内部因素（例如衰老、疾病、免疫反应、嗅觉功能和吸烟等生活习惯）的相互作用的影响。我们在此总结了有关 URT 微生物组在健康和疾病方面的最新知识，讨论了方法学问题，并考虑了鼻腔微生物组用于医学诊断和作为治疗目标的潜力。