The Human Microbiome

Question 1

What is microbiota?

Answer 1

Individual microbial species in a biome - bacteria, fungi, archaea and viruses

Question 2

What is the most rapidly changing field in human biology?

Answer 2

Human microbiome

Question 3

What is the aim of the human microbiome project?

Answer 3

To characterise microbial communities found at multiple human body sites and to look for correlations between changes in the microbiome and human health

Question 4

How long was the HMP?

Answer 4

5 years

Question 5

When did the HMP start?

Answer 5

2008

Question 6

How much did the HMP cost?

Answer 6

$150 million

Question 7

What methods were used by the HMP?

Answer 7

Culture independent methods of microbial community characterisation (16S and meta genomics) as well as whole genome sequencing of individual bacterial species

Question 8

What did the HMP sample?

Answer 8

The whole body but had emphasis on oral, skin, vaginal, gut and nasal/lung

Question 9

How many microbial species in the human microbiome?

Answer 9

10,000

Question 10

How many bacterial species in the gut?

Answer 10

500-1000

Question 11

What did the HMP aim to develop?

Answer 11

A reference set of microbial genome sequences and to perform preliminary characterisation of the humans microbiome. Also new technologies and tools for computational analysis

Question 12

What did the HMP aim to explore?

Answer 12

The relationship between disease and changes in the human microbiome

Question 13

What did the human microbiome aim to establish?

Answer 13

A resource repository (to share information)

Question 14

What did the HMP aim to study?

Answer 14

The ethical, legal and social implications of human microbiome research

Question 15

What were the 2 main results of the HMP?

Answer 15

Different sites have different microbes and your microbiome is not my microbiome

Question 16

What is meant by different sites have different microbes?

Answer 16

Strong niche specialisation both within and among individuals

Question 17

What is meant by your microbiome is not my microbiome?

Answer 17

Diversity and abundance of each habitats signature microbes vary widely even among healthy subjects

Question 18

What did HMP document?

Answer 18

81-99% of the genera, enzyme families and community configurations occupied by the healthy western microbiome

Question 19

What can change?

Answer 19

The community but the function doesn’t (as much)

Question 20

What was observed in the results of the HMP?

Answer 20

Variations in both pathways and microbes changes with clinical metadata along ethnic/racial differences

Question 21

How many bacterial groups exist?

Answer 21

More than 92

Question 22

How many archael groups exist?

Answer 22

26

Question 23

How many micro flora dominate human microbial communities?

Answer 23

4

Question 24

Which 4 microbes dominate human microbial communities?

Answer 24

Firmicutes, bacteriodetes, actinobacteria and proteobacteria

Question 25

How many human associated microbes have eluded colourisation so far?

Answer 25

Estimated 20-80%

Question 26

What did different sites have?

Answer 26

Different conditions and the differences in microbes reflect this

Question 27

What portion of decal biomass is bacterial cells?

Answer 27

50%

Question 28

What are functional foods?

Answer 28

Foods claimed to have a health promoting or disease preventing property beyond the basic function of supplying nutrients

Question 29

What are probiotics?

Answer 29

Living organisms (fermented foods-yoghurt)

Question 30

What are the most common microbes used as probiotics?

Answer 30

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria

Question 31

What do probiotics do?

Answer 31

Survive transit through stomach and duodenum

Question 32

What are the potential benefits of probiotics?

Answer 32

Chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases, treatment of pathogen induced diarrhoea and urogenital infections

Question 33

What are probiotics?

Answer 33

An ingredient that beneficially nourishes the good bacteria already in the large bowel or colon

Question 34

What do prebiotic do?

Answer 34

Stimulate the growth of probiotics

Question 35

What do the prebiotic fibres do?

Answer 35

They are not themselves digested by the body, instead, the fibres act as a fertiliser to promote the growth of many of the good bacteria in the gut. These, in turn, provide many digestive and general health benefits

Question 36

What do some prebiotic target?

Answer 36

Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli (probiotics stimulate the growth of probiotics)

Question 37

How are probiotics obtained?

Answer 37

Mostly from a type of carbohydrate fibre called an oligosaccharide

Question 38

What are good sources of prebiotic?

Answer 38

Whole grains, bananas, onions, garlic, honey and artichokes

Question 39

What is used when communities in the human gut go away?

Answer 39

Fecal matter transplants

Question 40

What is fecal matter transplantation used for?

Answer 40

Multiple recurrences of clostridium difficult infection