FAMILY TREE

ABUNDANCE

PREVALENCE

Lines trace the family tree of some of the microbes in the human body. Bacteria that can cause disease are marked with black dots.

Inner rings of the chart show where each species of microbe is usually found in or on the human body. Darker colors highlight microbes that are very common, and lighter colors show rarer microbes.

E. coli is usually present in the gut and stool, but in very small amounts. Some types of E. coli can cause food poisoning.

A range of species in the genus Bacteroides dominate the flora of the gut.

Bacteria of the genus Actinomyces live in the mouth and on teeth, and can be involved in infections after oral surgery.

Propionibacterium acnes lives on the skin of most people and has been linked to the development of acne.

The mouth contains many different species of Streptococcus bacteria. Streptococcus mitis is particularly abundant in the cheeks.

The vagina is typically colonized by one of four mutually exclusive species of Lactobacillus.