Vnitr Lek 2026, 72(1):22-28 | DOI: 10.36290/vnl.2026.003

Gut microbiome in internal medicine

Zdeněk Lys^{1, 2}, Lukáš Štos², David Galis², Veronika Janošcová², Jan Václavík^{1, 2}

¹ Interní a kardiologická klinika FN Ostrava

² Lékařská fakulta, Ostravská univerzita

The gut microbiome is a dynamic ecosystem with many physiological tasks not only in the gut itself, but also in interaction with the immune, endocrine, and nervous systems, as well as in the complex functioning of the organism. Knowledge of the role of the microbiome in the pathophysiology of diseases is growing across the entire spectrum of internal medicine. Knowledge of the role of the microbiome and its metabolites in the context of genetic and epigenetic factors may play a significant role in the diagnosis and treatment of several diseases. Despite many obstacles to clarifying the role of the microbiome, such as high inter- and intra-individual variability and the number of factors involved in interactions, specific information with a potential impact on clinical practice is emerging. In addition to diagnostics, this also includes the prediction of responses to existing treatments or, conversely, the reciprocal effect of commonly used medications on the gut microbiome. In this review article, we attempt to highlight important and potentially practical findings in this area in the field of internal medicine.

Keywords: microbiome, probiotics, fecal bacteriotherapy, metabolites.

Accepted: February 3, 2026; Published: February 12, 2026  Show citation