Gut microbiota: Who's there? Overview of the role of gut microbiota and health.
S. O'KEEFE (1). (1) Univ of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, U.S.A.
Until relatively recently, the colonic microbiota were considered simple passengers within our body dependent upon the dietary residues left over from human digestion of food. Analysis of their composition was hampered by their anaerobic character, which made survival outside the colon and in culture difficult. Advances in high throughput technology has resulted in an explosion in the fields of genomics, metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and metabolomics, and given us the tools to examine the contents and specific functions of the ‘black box’. Based on the sequencing of the highly conserved 16S region of rRNA we have been able to identify over 800 different bacterial species with over 7000 strains, with an estimated mass of 1–2 kg and number of 100 trillion outnumbering the cells of the host by 10 to one. These measurements have alerted investigators to the critical potential of the microbiota to influence not only colonic health, but also the health of the body following absorption of their metabolic products. Although bacteria are present on all surfaces of our gut, and body, epithelium, there is an exponential increase caudally, and it is therefore to be expected that potential interactions would have the greatest effect in the colon, although it may take only one species to cause disease or cancer, as exemplified by <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> in the stomach. Remarkably, recent evidence shows that the microbiota play significant roles in colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, heart disease, autoimmunity and eczema, appetite control, mood, nutrient absorption and vitamin synthesis. So far we have witnessed but the tip of the iceberg, and it can be anticipated that with further understanding of the metabolism of the 800 bacterial species and their 7000 different strains, our ability to optimize their function to maintain body health will advance exponentially.
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