Microbiology 2230 Spring 2018 Extra Credit Homework #9 Due Friday, April 13th 1.
ID: 3165004 • Letter: M
Question
Microbiology 2230 Spring 2018 Extra Credit Homework #9 Due Friday, April 13th 1. What are some of the possible future benefits of studies of the human microbiome? 2. How do microbial diversity and abundance vary along the length of the gastrointestinal tract? 3. What factor most affects the vaginal microbial community at the onset of puberty? 4. When a child is transitioned from breast milk to solid food, what are the associated changes in the gut microbial community and what physiological differences do those changes reflect? 5. Why has the success of fecal transplants in treating C. difficile infection encouraged the development of ecologically based therapies for other disorders associated with the human microbiome?Explanation / Answer
Ans 1. The human microbiome deals with the study of genes and genome of the microorganisms residing in the humans. The benefits which can be derived from the microbiome study can be utilised for characterising healthy and diseased human microbiome. Through metagenomics which is a branch of microbiome deals with the metabolic pathway of the microbes. It focuses on studying the microbes residing in five body areas which are skin, mouth, nose, colon and vagina. Proper and thorough understanding would result in development of novel therapies.
Ans 2. The microbial communities shift along the length of the GI tract. The mouth samples consisted of the most phylogenetically similar microbes due to hygienic condition. Mouth serves as the entry point for most of the microbes. Greater number of microbes would be found in the stomach due to better sequencing depth in the studies acheived here. As we proceed further n the murine gut and further the bacterial count increases along the GI tract. The microbes would be found more in abundance in the colon and stool
Ans 3. As estrogen levels rise during puberty there would be increased amount of glycogen deposition in the vaginal epithelium. It permits the abundance of lactic acid producing bacteria. There would be a decrease in pH thus preventing the propogation of many bacterial species.