Bacteriome and Archaeome: The Core Family Under the Microbiomic Roof

The concept of “bacteriome” was recast to apply to microbiomics in the late 2000s as the major (in cell population and gene context) but residual part of individual microbiomes, once mycobiome and virome were detached. Following the genomic aspect of the microbiome of the era, the bacteriome abided to the three-domain concept, thus inaugurating the archaeome as well. Both prokaryotic biomes are characterized by diverse and massive horizontal gene transfer. The sum of antagonistic and cooperative interactions among the different participant prokaryota and their respective alterations over time, either spontaneously or due to a multitude of effectors, defines their attitude toward their surroundings, environmental, industrial, or health-associated (medicinal, veterinary, and phytopathological) contexts. Diverse in functional and spatiotemporal terms, the infinite bacteriomes are focal for process-based microbiomic studies, contrary to conventional, cell-based bacteriology, revealing novel traits as the development of multicellular, possibly chimeric prokaryota, as insinuated by multispecies biofilms. They are thus bound to attract major research effort and resources in near future.