Approximately what percentage of all bacteria are non-pathogenic?

Non-pathogenic bacteria make up a significant majority of bacterial species, with estimates suggesting that around 70% of all bacteria are non-pathogenic. These beneficial bacteria are crucial for various ecological processes and are essential for human health, playing roles in digestion, metabolism, and preventing the establishment of harmful pathogens.

In contrast, pathogenic bacteria are those that can cause disease, but they represent a much smaller portion of the overall bacterial population. Understanding the dominant presence of non-pathogenic bacteria is vital for appreciating their importance in both the environment and our bodies. This context supports the choice of 70% as a reasonable and widely accepted estimate regarding the prevalence of non-pathogenic bacteria in comparison to the total bacterial community.