The Human Micro-biome

What is the Human Microbiome Microbial communities exist in many places such as in the soil, in the ocean and in every plant and animal, us included. Definition 1 (genetic) : The micro biome refer to the entire collection of genes found in all of the microbes associated with a particular host, in this case the human body. This is also referred to as the, “metagenome” which is the entire collection of microbial genes found in a particular environment (such as in our body) Definition 2 (ecological) : Ecologists use the term “biome” to describe the collection of plants and animals that live in a particular environment. When microbiome is used in this sense, it refers to the ecosystem made up of microbes within and on the human body — that is, the collection of microbes that live in the human ”habitat.”

What is the Human micro-biome We are basically walking bacteria colonies The human micro-biota consists of the trillion symbiotic microbial cells that line the entire gut/alimentary. These microbial genes exist separate to the genes locked within each human cell. Each of these microbial cells has its own unique set of complement genes that have been found to be linked to human health

How vast is it anyway?

Recently discovered categories of the microbiome No two people have the same microbiome However they have found that people generally fall under three categories/ Enterotypes depending on the micro- organisms making up our bacterial colonies (species composition). 1)Bacteroids 2)Prevotella 3)Ruminoccocus

Where does it come from? These are some of the main factors that determine the contents of our microbiomes: The components of our Microbiome is heavily influenced by the Bacteria passed on to us from our mother in a few ways: namely, during natural deliveries/labor, breastfeeding and even the act of cuddling with and touching your child. Diet (of course!) Exercise

1) Importance of mother in influencing the microbiome of her offspring during birth We are sterile while in the womb We receive a significant dose of microbes during the labor process - Babies who were delivered through a C-section have significantly different micro biomes than those who were delivered naturally. An article was published in Science daily on January of 2013 claiming that breast milk contains more than 700 species of bacteria. Note: For a while it was believed that we are exposed to our first dose of bacteria from our mother during labor however a recent study showed that a “Mouse Mothers pass Traits to offspring through Bacteria’s DNA”

The Microbirth Indiegogo Campaign – are we changing our species? They demonstrate how routine use of intervention can have devastating effects on the immune systems and thereby increasing their risk of developing disease later on in life Intervention is in the form of: Using synthetic Oxytocin C-section childbirths Use of antibiotics Formula feeding v.s breastfeeding

Quotes from the documentary “Global warming for the species” “Wiring our children for medical intervention from birth” “Catastrophic consequences for the whole of mankind” “Jeopardizing immune integrity across humans” “Cost of non-communicable disease will bankrupt the worlds healthcare systems by the year 2030, if this epidemic continues – The world economic forum”

How do we change our microbiome from birth? Diet Study published in “Science” Magazine “They created a well-defined, representative animal model of the human gut ecosystem by transplanting fresh or frozen adult human fecal microbial communities into germ-free C57BL/6J mice” “Switching from a low-fat, plant polysaccharide–rich diet to a high-fat, high-sugar “Western” diet shifted the structure of the microbiota within a single day, changed the representation of metabolic pathways in the microbiome, and altered microbiome gene expression.”

Microbiome and Diet NOTE: Short-term diet interventions may transiently alter the gut microbiome community structure, but long-term diet changes are required to shift to a new steady- state. OBESITY: The contents of our microbiome have a direct effect on our ability to metabolize foods and nutrients and so they are finding that huge shifts in our Microbime can be related to the obesity epidemic.

Exercise Researchers from the University of Cork, Ireland did a study using the feacal matter of 40 professional rugby players as well as two control groups of non-athletes to compare their microbiomes The microbiomes of the athletes was found to be far more diverse than those of non-athletes Microbial diversity is linked to health and loss of diversity is associated with many disorders

Micro-biome and the immune system “Almost every environmentally exposed surface of our bodies is Teeming with symbiotic microbes” Microbiome shapes our systemic immunity developmentally: STUDY: Using germ free animals they found that, in the absence of the microbiota the immune cells were unable to develop and function properly 2)The microbiota also influences functional aspects of intestinal and systemic Immunity - Pathogen clearance - Help carry T cells (white blood cells) to the sight of infection - Depletion of microbiota, diminishes intestinal immune responses

How the intake of antibodies and other medication may be affecting the microbiome Issues related to Antibiotics: They kill bacteria and even though you are targeting certain bacteria when taking antibiotics, they are not the only ones that are affected Therefore, our overuse of antibiotics may be causing damage to our immune systems and hence may be doing more damage than good. There are currently huge studies on this

Microbiome and disease - Alzheimer’s - Asthma/Allergies - Autism - Autoimmune diseases - Crohn’s Disease - Cancer - Dental Cavities - Mental Disorders They have already found links or potential links to the microbiome and a host of diseases: -Diabetes -Eczema -Gastric ulcers -Hardening of the arteries -Obesity -Inflammatory bowel diseases, -Malnutrition -Parkinson’s Disease

The Human Microbiome Project The NIH is currently funding this Human Microbiome Project where they hope to catalogue the various bacterium that live in the human and to look for correlations between changes in the microbiome and human health. (Similar to the idea of the Human Genome Project!)

Questions and possible outcomes for the future All of these new discoveries make us question things like: Will routine testing of the contents of our microbiomes become part of our medical check ups? How are we going to use this information and how will we manipulate our microbiomes so that we can live in optimal health? What is the impact of using antibiotics on our microbiome? Is this impact transient or permanent or both? The transference of bacteria from mother to child is extremely evident and inevitable. But do we want all of the bacteria from our mother? What if they are harmful ones that she is passing on? How will they find that balance between using medicine and damaging our microbiomes? What would be the effects if we eliminate the microbiome completely? Such as if we give large doses of antibiotics?

References what_does_your_gut_microbiome_have_to_do_with_your_immune_system what_does_your_gut_microbiome_have_to_do_with_your_immune_system