Human gut microbiome Flashcards
What is the microbiome?
The collection of microbes living in the gastrointestinal tract
What types of microbes are found in the gastrointestinal tract?
Bacteria
Fungi
Archea
Viruses
Name 4 high-throughput technologies used to identify microbes in the microbiota
Metataxonomics
Metagenomics
Metatranscriptomics
Metabonomics
Describe metataxonomics 16S RNA sequencing
Next-generation sequencing
Fast and reliable
Taxonomic and phylogenetic analysis of complex microbial communities
Differences found in the sequence of variable regions used for bacterial identification
Describe metagenomics
Fragments and sequences the entire DNA of the microbiome sample
Identification of the whole microbiome
Lower abundance species may be masked by higher abundance species
Identifies microbial community activities
What are the 2 main phyla in the human gut microbiome?
Firmicutes
Bacteroidetes
What are some changes in the human gut microbiome caused by?
Allergies Disease Obesity Mental health Global position
What makes a ‘healthy’ microbiome?
Diversity and functionality
What happens to complex polysaccharides in the human gut microbiome?
The human genome is unable to breakdown complex carbohydrates
Describe the human microbiota at birth
The microbial community is fully established by 3 years of age
What does a fully established gut microbiota do?
Contributes to our overall health, gut physiology, and immune system health
What is the link between gut microbes and human breast milk?
Human milk oligosaccharides feed beneficial Bifidobacterium and aid development in a ‘healthy’ microbiome
What happens to the gut microbiome if the diet is low in fibre?
Dietary fibre deficiency leads to gut microbiota using host mucus as a nutrient source
Thus, the breakdown of the mucus barrier prevents pathogen access to the epithelial cells
This then promotes infection by enteric pathogens
