Other places in the human body with important commensal
flora should be explored too — the nasopharyngeal
region and the urogenital tract come to mind, as each has a
distinct, rich flora that includes opportunistic pathogens.
Once the range of organisms normally present in each
niche has been ascertained, quantitative methods for
assessing population composition can be applied using
oligonucleotide probes designed from rRNA sequences.
For example, it might be possible for the composition of a
sample to be rapidly evaluated by microarray analysis
using species-specific or group-specific probes, without
ever culturing bacteria in the laboratory. Assessments of
microbial population dynamics during the course of an
infection, as a consequence of antibiotic treatment, or as a
function of age, diet, ethnicity, or any number of other
variables would almost certainly have significant relevance
to improving human health.