In a study conducted by microbiologists to 7 families consisting of 18 people, three dogs and one cat in Washington and California, it has been found out that every person has a cloud of germs that follow them around no matter how tough the cleaning and the scrubbing.
Jack Gilbert, a microbiologist at Argonne National Laboratories and University of Chicago, led the study that ended up in the conclusion that every person's microbiome, defines their identity and marks the places they hang out.
According to Gilbert, "the microbiome is a combination of all your microbial interactions," and that these interactions of the role-playing germs are unique to every person.
This "uniqueness" in the microbiological level is affected by one's lifestyle primarily - where you live, who you live with, the places you often frequent, the people you often spend time with and even your pets.
In the study, a young couple moved out of a new house into a hotel room. This resulted to each of their microbiomes overwhelming the existing microbiome of the hotel room. The microbial components of their microbiomes adapted speedily in the new environment. From the microbiological stand point the hotel room shares an identical characteristic with that of their new house.
The diversity in a home's microbiomes very much affects the immune system and disease defense mechanisms of the people that live there. Thus, the types and severity of the diseases one contracts are highly affected by this cloud of germs that are present in the home and in every family member's respective microbiome.
In addition to this, Gilbert and his co-researchers added that babies are "born virtually microbe-free." A baby's microbiome starts to form right after he is born when he becomes in contact with his mother's microbiome.
Until about the age of 24 months, a baby's own microbiome is underway. The forming blocks of his own unique cloud of germs include the already present microbiomes at home and that of the people around him.