Gut microbiota essay

Question 1

Overall introduction?

Answer 1

Using named example bacteria discuss “The human gut microbiome may make an important contribution to both health and disease”.

• Using specific examples discuss why the human microbiome may be considered a vital organ for health and wellbeing.

Human Microbiome Project, discuss the technologies that are being used to define how the composition and metabolic activity of microbial communities in the human gut may influence obesity.

Rephrase the question and say what my interpretation is

The human gut microbiome refers to the collective genomes of our indigenous microbes or microbiota found within our gut. (Lederberg 2001)

Which was found via the Metagenomic study of the human microbiome (the human microbiome project) has demonstrated that there are 3.3 million unique genes in human gut, 150 times more genes than our own genome, and the bacterial diversity analysis showed that about 1000 bacterial species are living in our gut and a majority of them belongs to the divisions of Firmicutes and Bacteriodetes. In addition, most people share a core microbiota (Zhu B, 2010)

Methods for studying the microbiome have quickly evolved from low-resolution surveys of microbial community structure to high-definition description of composition, function, and ecology. Next-generation sequencing technologies combined with advanced bioinformatics

The importance of this knowledge - has the potential to result in diseases such as the annual economic cost for both diseases Inflammatory bowel disease and crohns disease at $1.8 billion to $2.6 billion annually, that was in 1992 price will have only risen (Hay, 1992)

And the association of obesity results in 68.8 billion dollars annual lost in the US in 1990, (Wolf, 1994)

Hence the economic and health cost is relevant

Explain how this essay will answer question

Question 2

Introduction on crohns disease cause?

Answer 2

Crohn’s disease is a relapsing systemic inflammatory disease, mainly affecting the gastrointestinal tract with extraintestinal manifestations and associated immune disorders. Genome wide association studies identified susceptibility loci that—triggered by environmental factors—result in a disturbed innate and adaptive immune response towards a diminished diversity of commensal microbiota.

Question 3

Main paragraph part 1 on crohns disease?

Answer 3

(Morgan, 2012) Faecalibacterium in particular were dramatically reduced compared to other subjects (Figure 2a), confirming previous studies [48, 49]. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, the only cultured representative of Faecalibacterium, is able to metabolize both diet-derived polysaccharides and host-derived substrates such as N-acetyl glucosamine from intestinal mucus

It is also a major butyrate producer and exhibits anti-inflammatory effects in a colitis setting

Question 4

Main paragraph part 2 on crohns disease?

Answer 4

(Borody, 2002) identified Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis is probably the best candidate for a microbial cause of Crohn’s disease

Reversal of severe Crohn’s disease has been achieved in
patients using prolonged combination anti-Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis therapy alone. Three patients remain in long-term remission with no detectable Crohn’s disease off all therapy. These results support a causal role for Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in Crohn’s disease while also suggesting that a cure may become possible.

Question 5

Chrons disease conclusion?

Answer 5

Final concluding sentence
Who this affects
Positives and negatives of study

Question 6

Introduction on obesity?

Answer 6

The aetiology of obesity has been attributed to several factors (environmental, dietary, lifestyle, host, and genetic factors); however none of these fully explain the increase in the prevalence of obesity worldwide. Gut microbiota located at the interface of host and environment in the gut are a new area of research being explored to explain the excess accumulation of energy in obese individuals and may be a potential target for therapeutic manipulation to reduce host energy storage (khan, 2016)

Question 7

Part 1 on obesity?

Answer 7

Khan 2016 discusses that Dietary polysaccharides and proteins that escape digestion in the small intestine are fermented in the colon by the gut microbiota into SCFA mainly acetate propionate and butyrate. The amount of energy harvested is hypothesised to be influenced by the composition of the gut microbiota

Chronic excess energy harvest may cause long term increased fat accumulation in the body

To a greater extent, there is a general agreement from many studies that the obese phenotype is associated with excess SCFA in caecal and faecal samples in animal and human studies compared with the nonobese

Question 8

Part 2 on obesity?

Answer 8

(Zhang X), 2015

Metformin and berberine, two clinically effective drugs for treating diabetes, have recently been shown to exert their actions through modulating the gut microbiota.

reverting effects on the high-fat diet-induced structural changes of gut microbiota in rats

The diversity of gut microbiota was significantly reduced by both berberine- and metformin-treatments.

(SCFA)-producing bacteria, including Allobaculum, Bacteriodes, Blautia, Butyricoccus and Phascolarctobacterium, were markedly increased by both berberine and, to a lesser extent, metformin.

Question 9

Conclusion on obesity?

Answer 9

State overall findings
Who it affects
Positives and negtivs

Question 10

Overall conclusion

Answer 10

tate essay question and give answer

Say how ideas can be developed more in clinical trial

Describe weaknesses, but strengths as well

Practical application

Further study

Strong concluding sentence