Scientists Discover in Excess of 40,000 Species of Bacteria in the Human Gut!
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Advances in DNA sequence-based technologies now permit genetic analysis of complex microbial populations without the need for prior cultivation. This review summarizes the molecular methods of culture-independent microbiology (‘metagenomics’) and their recent application to studies of the human gastrointestinal tract in both health and disease.
RECENT FINDINGS: Culture-independent metagenomic surveys reveal unprecedented microbial biodiversity in the human intestine. Upwards of 40,000 bacterial species are estimated to comprise the collective gastrointestinal microbiome, most of which have not been characterized by culture. Diverse conditions such as antibiotic-associated diarrhea, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, obesity, and pouchitis have been correlated with large-scale imbalances in gastrointestinal microbiota, or ‘dysbiosis’. These findings demonstrate the importance of commensal microorganisms in maintaining gastrointestinal health.
SUMMARY: Through technological and conceptual innovations in metagenomics, the complex microbial habitat of the human gastrointestinal tract is now amenable to detailed ecological analysis. Large-scale shifts in gut commensal populations, rather than occurrence of particular microorganisms, are associated with several gastroenterological conditions; redress of these imbalances may ameliorate the conditions.
Frank DN, Pace NR. Gastrointestinal microbiology enters the metagenomics era.Curr Opin Gastroenterol. 2008 Jan;24(1):4-10. View Abstract
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Keywords:bacteria, gut, inflammation, microbiome
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[...] is this more complex or fascinating than the gastrointestinal tract, with over 40,000 and counting individual species identified so far, it is also clear that their composition varies [...]
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The immune system is prone to the same grave misfortunes as any defense system handling weapons: collateral damage that comes with the destruction of the enemy on one’s own territory and friendly fire due to mistaken identity. Whereas the collateral damage is the price we pay for clearance of infections, autoimmunity is a pathological process. Nevertheless, the effector mechanisms involved in both processes are the same. Whether environment can be a cause, a trigger or an amplifier of an autoimmune disease are questions that are being intensively investigated.
my mom suffered colitis last year and it was quite an expensive disease.”.: