CELS 191 Lecture 31 Flashcards
(19 cards)
what methods were used in the human microbiome project
culture independent methods
what parts of the body was emphasis placed on during the microbiome project
oral, skin, vaginal, gut and nasal/lung
how many species did the human microbiome project discover
10,000 microbial species with 500 - 1,000 in the gut alone
what were the 4 goals of the human microbiome project
- to develop a reference set of microbial genome sequences and to perform preliminary characterisation of the human microbiome
- to explore the relationship between disease and changes in the human microbiome
- to develop new technologies and tools for computational analysis
- to study the ethical, legal and social implications of human microbiome research
what were the findings of the human microbiome project
there was strong niche specialisation both within and among individuals - different sites have different microbes
generally the communities can change between individuals but…
the functions of the microbes don’t change as much
what does the microbiome do for us
preventing pathogens from being successful
block colonisation niches
competing for nutrients
modifying environment to change virulence factor expression
making environment actively hostile: producing bacteriocins (antimicrobial) and short chain fatty acids
lowering pH
cause the host to thicken mucus layer
cause the host to up regulate antimicrobial peptides
primes host neutrophils and macrophages
what are more than 92 bacterial and 26 archaeal groups to exist but human microbial communities are dominated by 4:
firmicutes
bacteridetes
actinobacteria
proteobacteria
the gut microbiota creates SCFAs that modulates…
our metabolisms and affects our defence against pathogens
the microbiome can…
synthesise vitamins
modulate the immune response
alter drug delivery - can be good or bad
what are functional foods
food that claim to have health-promoting or disease preventing properly beyond the basic function of supplying nutrients - there is no scientific data to back this up
what are probiotics
live microorganisms - fermented foods like yoghurt
lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria are the most common types of microbes used as probiotics because…
they survive transit through the stomach and duodenum
potential benefits of probiotics include
treatment of chronic intestinal inflammatory disease, prevention and treatment of pathogen induced diarrhoea and urogenital tract infections
what are prebiotics
ingredients that beneficially nourish the good bacteria already in the large bowel or colon - they stimulate the growth of probiotics
where do prebiotics come from
a type of carbohydrate fibre called an oligosaccharide - good source include whole grains, bananas, onions, garlic, honey and artichokes
two gut species C. difficile and Lactobacillus both use sialic acids from mucins (the main component of the mucus layer in the gut) as a carbon/energy source. what makes C. difficile a pathogen
the speed of growth and presence of accessory genes
what are faecel matter transplants
when a healthy persons faeces are transplanted into another in order to restore their microbiome
are faecal matter transplants successful
yes - they are highly successful in the treatment of multiple recurrences of clostridium difficile infection (CDI)
