Commensal microbiota and its relationship to homeostasis and disease
Phillip D. Smith, Richard S. Blumberg, Thomas T. MacDonald in Principles of Mucosal Immunology, 2020
As a starting point, the important definitions and principles of such microbial communities need to be explained. Three definitions and principles will be helpful. Microbiome refers to the members of a microbial community found in a particular anatomical habitat. The microbiome is defined by a combination of traditional microbiology that is dependent on the ability to culture specific microorganisms under defined conditions and, more recently, the application of unbiased approaches based on the genetic composition of the specific microbe. These unbiased approaches largely rely on next-generation sequencing of conserved regions within the 16S rRNA subunit of microbes using region-specific primers and high-throughput DNA sequencing. Such approaches are changing the definitions of classical taxonomy such that an alternative definition of a species is as a phylotype as defined by 99% identity at the level of the conserved sequences within the 16S ribosomal subunit. Finally, it is important to note that the composition of a microbiome may change over time, even abruptly, due to physiologic, metabolic, or disease states, and be markedly different in different parts of the world. However, the composition of each anatomic microbiome is characteristic, reflecting the specialist microorganisms and their functions devoted to this habitat.
Precision
Lawrence S. Chan, William C. Tang in Engineering-Medicine, 2019
Microbiome is entire make up of microorganism that live inside and on the surface of an individual person. Having been neglected for their importance in human wellbeing, the microorganisms that live inside our body or on our surface have recently been recognized for their significant contributions. Recognized as “the Father of the Microbiome”, Professor Jeffery I. Gordon of Washington University in St. Louis has been a pioneer in investigating the relationship between microbes and their human hosts in a variety of health and disease conditions. Dr. Gordon “often speaks of the gut’s nonhuman residents—the microbiota—as a microbial organ. Like the body’s other organs, Gordon has shown, the microbiota performs specific and vital functions” (Strait 2017). For example, studies have documented that our body’s microbiome make up influence not only our health, but also our response to therapeutic treatments during our disease state (Gopalakrishnan et al. 2018). Gene sequencing technology has allowed us to examine the presence, relative abundance, and function of our gut microorganisms with reasonable costs, by simply proving a stool sample (GENOTEK 2018).
The Gut and Heart Connection
Mark C Houston in The Truth About Heart Disease, 2023
The gut microbiome is a collection of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other organisms that are often referred to as “microbes”. They inhabit the human intestine and play an essential role in human health and disease (Figure 11.1). There exists a very close information exchange between your body and the intestinal microbes, as they perform a vital role in digestion, immune defense, nervous system regulation, and metabolism. Studies have shown that the composition of the GM and the substances that they make are undeniably related to the occurrence of various diseases—especially CHD and MI. Many researchers have demonstrated that the intestinal microbiome is a “virtual organ” with endocrine function. The active substances produced by it can affect your physiology, health, functionality, and risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Epidemiology of major chronic inflammatory immune-related skin diseases in 2019
Published in Expert Review of Clinical Immunology, 2020
Elena Pezzolo, Luigi Naldi
The microbiome is a focus of particular interest. The term ‘microbiome’ refers to the collection of genomes from all the microorganisms found in a particular environment. The microbiome can be generalized to an entire organism, or broken down into specific microbiomes for different body locations [115,116]. Technologies are available to perform cost- and time- efficient analyses of the microbiome, and advanced computational analytical methods could be used to summarize results. Clear interactions exist between the immune system and the microbiota and it is quite conceivable that, in the near future, microbiome analyses might enable to identify individuals at higher risk, and lead to strategies to reduce the risk by microbiome manipulation, including special dietetic interventions or use of probiotics and prebiotics.
Just another crappy commentary: the future of fecal microbiota transplantation
Published in Expert Review of Clinical Immunology, 2019
James T. Rosenbaum
Joshua Lederberg coined the term, microbiome, for the microbes living in and on each of us [3]. In addition to bacteria, the microbiome includes viruses, fungi, and sometimes other organisms such as helminths. We now appreciate that the microbiome is essential for health. Our microbes are a source of vitamins and neurotransmitters. Most importantly, our microbes educate our immune system. Mice which are raised in a germ free environment have shrunken lymphoid organs and an impaired immune response [4]. We should not forget that our gut microbiome metabolizes many of the medications that we ingest [5,6]. The microbiome even alters the efficacy of anti-cancer therapy, such as checkpoint inhibitors [7,8]. Anyone who has ever taken an antibiotic knows that drugs alter bugs, but the range of drugs altering bugs is being increasingly explored. And we are just starting to explore how bugs alter drugs. Acetaminophen was one of the first recognized examples [5], but many more have followed [6].
Update on optimal treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer from the AGITG expert meeting: ESMO congress 2019
Published in Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy, 2020
David K. Lau, Matthew Burge, Amitesh Roy, Ian Chau, Daniel G. Haller, Jeremy D. Shapiro, Marc Peeters, Nick Pavlakis, Christos S. Karapetis, Niall C. Tebbutt, Eva Segelov, Timothy J. Price
The microbiome is the collection of bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa that reside in the human body. Given the causative link between CRC and dietary patterns which may alter the composition of the gut microbiome, research into the microbiome for CRC prevention, diagnostics and therapeutics is ongoing [189]. Specific species such as F. nucleatum [190], B. fragilis, and E.coli [191] play may a role in carcinogenesis and cancer progression by multiple mechanisms including promotion of inflammation and secretion of biofilms. Currently, there are no approved therapies targeting the microbiome however, this field represents an opportunity for research. Understanding the complex interaction between the colon and the microbiome may unlock new biomarkers or therapeutic interventions leading to tumor control or toxicity management.