Microbiology terms

Question 1

Gut microbiota

Answer 1

Community of microbes that lives in an individual’s gastrointestinal tract. Term encompasses members of Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya and their viruses.

Question 2

Gut microbiome

Answer 2

The aggregate collection of genomes and genes present in a gut microbiota

Question 3

Gnotobiotics

Answer 3

Animals reared under sterile conditions are classified as gnotobiotic, as are animals that are raised under germ-free conditions for a period of their lives and then colonized with various collections of microbes.

Question 4

Metagenomics

Answer 4

Culture-independent studies of the structures and functions of microbial communities.

Question 5

Pathobiont

Answer 5

Refers to a member of a microbiota that under certain conditions of disturbance to the host and/or microbiota can cause pathology.

Question 6

Dysbiosis

Answer 6

A state of microbial imbalance in the gut. Refers to a change in the structural and/or functional configuration of the microbiota that produces a disruption in the homeostasis between a host and the microbial community it harbors.

Question 7

Prebiotic

Answer 7

Food that supports the growth and expression of a beneficial biological property or properties of one or more resident gut symbionts.

Question 8

Probiotic

Answer 8

A live microorganism that when ingested provides benefit to the host.