Unravelling Gut Microbiomes, Viromes, and Biofilm Investigations in the Developing Next-generation Sequencing Era

The study of microorganisms and microbiomes has a long history, dating back to the 1670s when Anton van Leeuwenhoek first observed microorganisms using a microscope. In the late 19th century, Robert Koch and Louis Pasteur established the Germ Theory of Disease, proposing that microorganisms are responsible for many human and animal diseases (National Research Council (US) 2004, Slotten 2014). Thus, researchers embarked on investigations into the variety and distribution of microorganisms found in myriad environments, including water and soil.