Lecture 41 Flashcards
Describe important things about the human microbiome.
Most microbe interactions with humans do not cause disease, there are many which have beneficial host-microbe interactions essential for many of our normal mammalian physiology. 10% of our cells and 1% of our genes are human.
What is the microbiome and microbiota?
Microbiome: the complete collection of genes in the genomes of all bacterial species that have co-evolved with human hosts.
Microbiota: The individual bacterial species in the biome.
What is the human microbiome project?
A project about sequencing the site specific microbiota communities in differnt locations of the body. Each of these communities contains microorganims from certain families and genera which are found in the same habitat in many or most individuals. The species and strain however can be as unique as a fingerprint, species can sometimes be in common between individuals far more than the strain however.
What are the human microbial colonies mainly dominated by? Which are most common in the human gut?
Firmicutes, bacteriodetes, actinobacteria and proteobacteria. Many of these microbes have eluded cultivation so far. In the gut firmicutes and bacteroidetes comprise 90%
Where are microbes in our gut mostly found? What do gut microbes typically help with?
Mostly in the colon, least in the stomach. 50% of our faecal biomass is bacterial. The bacteria in our gut function primarily to: 1. aid in intestinal development and function, 2. provide metabolic function e.g breaking down toxins, xenobiotics, carcinogens, synthesizing micronutrients and fermenting indigestible foods, 3. protects from colonization by other pathogens.
Why do different people have different microbial species?
variation occurs for many reasons, among which are ecological interactions within hosts and host variability e.g diet, genotype, colonization.
How do bacteria influence our metabolism?
Different bacteria have different efficencys and as such can provide more nutrients from the same meal than others, this can predispose us to gain more weight.
