Background: \- The intestines, mouth, and skin all contain billions of bacteria and some fungi. Every person s body contains microorganisms like these. They normally do not make people sick. Researchers are interested in how these microorganisms change when a person is hospitalized. They want to find out if changes take place because of the hospitalization (such as treatments used or changes in medical condition) or because of a person s biology (such as their immune system). Objectives: \- To understand which microorganisms are most likely to spread through hospitals and what affects that spread. Eligibility: \- People 2 years of age and older who are going to be inpatients at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (NIHCC) for at least 48 hours. Design: * Clinicians will take samples from participants up to once a day for as long as they are hospitalized at NIHCC. * Samples will be taken with a swab, from the rectal area, groin, throat, and armpit, and possibly other areas. * Participants may give a stool sample or be asked to spit into a cup. * Clinicians will collect some information from participants medical records. They may request some samples of tissue that are left over from procedures already scheduled at NIHCC. * After participants leave the NIHCC, samples may be taken when they return for follow-up visits from their hospitalization, for up to 2 years. They will not have to return as a follow-up for this study only.
Age range
2 Years – 120 Years
Sex
ALL
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AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.
Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
The primary endpoint is to accumulate a sufficiently robust body of intestinal microbiome data and clinical and epidemiological metadata to characterize fully the changes in the human microbiota that occur during the course of hospitalization an...
Timeframe: At completion of study