5.6 Gut Microbiota in Health and Disease

Question 1

Gut microbiome vs gut microbiota

Answer 1

Microbiota: the organisms within the microbial community

Microbiome: genes that encode the gut microbiota

Question 2

Outline 3 key roles of the gut microbiota in maintaining health

Answer 2

1. Protection from infecion
2. Food and drug metabolism
3. Providing neurotransmitters (Sasha - tryptophan yoghurt)

Question 3

Gut microbiota imbalance is thought to cause diseases/harmful processes such as…

Answer 3

• Heart disease
• IBD (Dr Ray)
• CKD
• Diabetes
• Cancer

Question 4

Describe the therapeutic utility for fecal microbiota transfer in treating clostridium difficile

Answer 4

• Randomised control trials show 90% rate of curing
• Very few attributable side effects (no long term data)

Question 5

Describe bacterial density throughout the gut. Does it change? Why?

Answer 5

Increasing density as you travel in an anal direction. Decreased acidity.

Question 6

Viruses that use bacteria as hosts are called…

Answer 6

Bacteriophages

Question 7

List three types of gut microbiota

Answer 7

1. Bacteria
2. Bacteriophages
3. Fungi

Question 8

Early microbiota acquisition is influenced by…

Answer 8

• Type of birth
• Breast feeding
• Diet
• Antibiotics (not good)

Question 9

The Western Blanket is creating widespread extinction of gut microbiota. Some aspects of this Blanket include…

Answer 9

• Diet
• Exercise
• Hygiene
• Stress
• Drugs

Question 10

What kind of organism drives gut dysbiosis? What happens?

Answer 10

• Pathobiont organisms cause change in epithelial permeability
  
  • Microbiota leak out
• Chronic inflammatory response to bacteria

Question 11

Why should we be careful linking the microbiota in someones gut to their diseases as a part of pathophysiology?

Answer 11

Because it’s a chicken and egg problem; we don’t know whether the bugs cause the disease, or the disease causes the bugs.

Question 12

Risk factors for C Diff infection.

Answer 12

• Advanced age
• Hospitalisation
• Antibiotics
• PPI use
• Chemotherapy

(Sickest patients)

Question 13

Contraindications for fecal transplant

Answer 13

• Gastrointestinal perforation
• Anaphylactic food allergy (don’t want peanut poo…)