Indigenous microbiology: Why Indigenous knowledge matters in microbial science.

Francyeli Araújo Silva, Ruthchelly Tavares da Silva, Nikki Harcourt, Eva Biggs, Marciane Magnani

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in FEMS microbes, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Francyeli Araújo SilvaLaboratory of Microbial Process in Foods, Department of Food Engineering, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa 58051-900, Brazil.

Ruthchelly Tavares da SilvaLaboratory of Microbial Process in Foods, Department of Food Engineering, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa 58051-900, Brazil.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0433-6631

Nikki HarcourtNew Zealand Bioeconomy Science Institute, Hamilton 7608, New Zealand.

Eva BiggsNew Zealand Bioeconomy Science Institute, Lincoln 7608, PO Box 69040, New Zealand.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6149-7802

Marciane MagnaniLaboratory of Microbial Process in Foods, Department of Food Engineering, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa 58051-900, Brazil.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7771-0479

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Indigenous knowledge has long engaged with microorganisms through relationships with environment, food, and health, yet these understandings remain marginal in mainstream microbiology. In this article, we argue that Indigenous microbiology offers a broader framework for microbial science by placing microorganisms within ecological, cultural, and ecosystem-specific relationships. This perspective is relevant to current challenges in sustainable agriculture, food security, and antimicrobial resistance. Drawing on examples from environmental management, traditional fermented foods, and therapeutic practices, we show that Indigenous knowledge can deepen microbiome research and contribute to developing healthy and sustainable strategies. Indigenous microbiology should not be treated as an informal add-on to existing science, but as a valuable framework for asking better questions about microbial life and its role in human and environmental wellbeing.

Indexed as

environmental sustainabilityhuman healthmicrobiome researchtraditional foods

Identifiers

PMID42145567

DOI10.1093/femsmc/xtag024

PMCPMC13178256

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

LicenceCC BY

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.