Owen PolingBiological Sciences Senior Hello again, everyone. For this entry of my blog I decided to talk about something a little bit more relevant to our fields of study. For those of you who have taken Microbiology, you are certainly aware of the essential role the microbiota plays in our lives. A quick google search reveals hundreds of studies linking our microbiota with things like anxiety, food cravings, mood swings, immune system modulation, and even the recovery time of patients after suffering from a stroke. For those of you who have not taken Microbiology, I’ll take some time to briefly explain what microbiota is.
The microbiota is the group of bacteria (and other microorganisms) that naturally occur within our gastrointestinal tract. Modern research has no clear-cut definition as to what defines a healthy or normal microbiota, but we have some clues. Bifidobacteria and Bacteroides are consistent players in the composition of a normal microbiota. These groups of bacteria have been associated with certain health benefits. For instance, Bifidobacteria have been shown to reduce intestinal inflammation. Because of this interesting link, research is beginning to delve deeply into how Bifidobacteria and the microbiota more generally can help patients with conditions like irritable bowel syndrome or ulcerative colitis. It is also worth noting that members of the group Bacteriodes have a very interesting system to digest starches, called the Starch Utilization System. Essentially, these bacteria release enzymes into the gut environment to partially digest large starches so they are more easily transported into our cells. This sounds like a pretty insignificant function, however there are two amazing features embedded within this system. First, this system is communal. This means that the Bacteriodes are releasing these enzymes not only for their own gain, but also to the benefit of other bacteria. Second, the starches digested by these bacteria, for example the xyloglucans found in tomatoes and leafy greens, are not able to be digested by the cellular machinery that humans possess. Without these bacteria, we wouldn’t be able to harvest the energy of many fruits, vegetables, and other produce. While these are wonderful characteristics of the microbiota, the microbiota can harm the human body as well. Take for instance the effects of the family of bacteria Enterobacteriaceae; this family of bacteria is associated with a lot of unfortunate symptoms in the human body. Enterobacteriaceae has been shown to cause things like inflammation and is even thought to contribute to Crohn’s disease. This review article compiles a lot of information about Enterobacteriaceae and the phylum it belongs to: Proteobacteria. Another new interest with the microbiota is how to alter it and fecal transplants have become an area of great interest. For example, C. diff (Clostridium difficile) is an extremely contagious disease that results in extreme episodes of diarrhea. The disease is particularly prevalent in nursing homes and ICU floors in hospitals. To make matters worse, Clostridium difficile is very resistant to antibiotics. However, fecal transplants have been a promising alternative for C. diff treatment. In studies, fecal transplants have been shown to clear C. diff symptoms in anywhere from 70% to 90% of patients. This is certainly an exciting field of study, and I encourage those of you reading this to do some of your own research on this topic! Or take Microbiology next semester! Enjoy the rest of your semester, folks. And best of luck on your finals!
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January 2022
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