The journal scope includes investigations of microbiomes present in one or various body compartments of human beings or other animals. Surveys on the establishment of microbial communities, microbe-microbe interactions, and microbe-host communication are welcome for publication. In particular, the journal emphasizes the identification and functional investigation of the role exerted by microbial taxa as well as microbial genes and microbial metabolites markers associated with health and disease. The journal focuses on studies that provide information on microbiome/microbiome composition in various animal-relevant niches and generate insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying microbiome function. Thus, the journal emphasizes functional interactions between microbes themselves, between microbes and their environment, and between microbes and their host.