Lecture 14 Review Q and A (human microbe)

Question 1

Define symbionts, commensals and pathobionts

Answer 1

Symbionts: organisms with known health promoting function

Commensals: permanent residents of the gut that offer no benefit or detriment to you

Pathobionts: permanent residents of micro biome , but could induce pathology

Question 2

How does maternal exposure impact fetus and newborn?

Answer 2

Babies get a lot of their microflora from mum during birth and breast feeding, so anything that impacts mum will impact infant as well

Question 3

Bifidobacterium infantis and relationship with breast milk composition

Answer 3

really good for gut bacteria function and for modulating the immune system response in newborns . If a newborn is born vaginally, they will get bifidobacterium, but those born by C-section do not. Breastmilk contains an oligosaccharide that infants cannot digest, so we wonder what purpose it served. Turns out it is food for bifidobacterium.

Question 4

Adverse health outcomes associated with babies born c-section due to differences in their micro biome compared to that of babies born vaginally

Answer 4

Obesity, asthma, allergic diseases (eczema and rhinitis), Type 1 diabetes, neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, persistent pulmonary hypertension and altered lung function

Question 5

What was the novel treatment described for C. dificile?

Answer 5

Fecal Transplants