MCB 3020C Lecture Notes - Lecture 27: Human Microbiota, Habitat, Firmicutes
Document Summary
A microbiome is a functional collection of different microbes in a particular environmental system. Scientists use the term microbiota to describe ll the microbes in the microhabitat. Different microhabitats support different microbes, so the skin will have very different microbes than the mouth. Future benefits of knowing the human microbiome: development of biomarkers for predicting predisposition to diseases, designing targeted therapies, personalized drug therapies and probiotics. Current early studies have already revealed that there are complex interactions between host and its microbiota. Do differences in the human microbiome correlate with differences in human health. Most bacteria cannot be cultured; however, advanced sequencing techniques allow for identification of different microbiota at different body sites. Consists of stomach, small intestine, and large intestine; comprises 400 m^2 of surface area. Responsible for digestion of food, absorption of nutrients, and production of nutrients by the indigenous microbial flora.
