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Bacteria are central to all life forms on planet Earth and are the essential building blocks that make living organisms what they are.
The mitochondrion – found in most organisms, which generates energy in the cell – and the chloroplast – the solar energy recuperator located in plants – can be attributed to their bacterial ancestors. These specialized microbes have laid the foundation for the biodiversity in which we live.
Microbes are part of all multicellular organisms and fulfill a multitude of life-critical functions, including nutrient digestion and signaling processes. Microbes that are an integral part of living organisms are called microbiomes. The microbiome is found in creatures as simple as hydra and as complex as humans, elephants and trees.
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Human microbiome
Microbes are part of the human being from their early stage of development and play an important role in the functioning of the human body. The human microbiome is made up of viruses, bacteria and fungi that reside in communities on the inside and on the body.
Although these microbes have always been part of human anatomy, they have only recently been viewed through advances in technology such as molecular imaging tools and next-generation gene sequencing. We can now visualize these microbial entities as they operate and perform vital tasks.
Human microbes: the inner power (2018), Author provided
The human microbiome is one of the largest organs, weighing about two to three kilograms in an adult. Although it is invisible, the microbiome makes its physical presence evident with occasional noises and smells.
The microbiome gives us the unique traits we have. The composition of the microbiome evolves during our lifetime and a decrease in the number and diversity of its constituents is associated with diseases and aging. In fact, it is recognized that healthy individuals and centenarians harbor a greater diversity of microbial partners than unhealthy individuals.
Location specific functions
The microbiome works in harmony with various organs of the body and contributes to the proper functioning of a human being. For example, microbes living on the surface of the skin protect against the invasion of bacteria and opportunistic pathogens. These microbes also help to heal wounds, strengthen the immune system and produce volatile signaling molecules essential for communication within the body and the nervous system.
The intestine, which houses the largest amount of microbes, would not be able to discharge its duty of digestion without microbial assistance. Intestinal microbes have various enzymes dedicated to digesting complex carbohydrates and extracting nutrients from the foods we consume. An average person consumes up to 60 tons of food during his lifetime. A digestive tract without microbes would require even more food, a situation the world would prefer to do without.
Intestinal microbes also produce vitamins such as vitamin B12 (essential for metabolic activity), hormones, neurotransmitters and a multitude of metabolites as part of normal body processes. They also play an active role in the fate of the drugs we ingest. In fact, medications taken orally interact with the gut microbiome first before reaching their targets.
Molecular entities, such as short-chain fatty acids, derived from the microbiome are part of our normal development process.
Germs are unique both for the individual and for the location on the body where they are housed. For example, the oily front tends to be the preferred residence of Propionibacteria, while the wet nose is populated by Corynebacteria. The stomach has acid-tolerant bacteria while the colon hosts anaerobic inhabitants.
François-Joseph Lapointe, University of Montreal, CC BY
Understanding the microbiome
This invisible organ is modulated by disparate factors such as parental genetics, geography, diet and lifestyle. Although the fingerprints of microbiomes are in their infancy, it is clear that an individual living in an urban area will harbor a different microbial community than one living in rural areas. As the microbiome is like any other organ, the disruption of its cellular components – called dysbiosis – can trigger a variety of conditions such as obesity, irritable bowel syndrome, dermatitis and neurological imbalance. Some of these diseases can be cured using probiotics and prebiotics designed to correct microbial imbalance.
Although this expansive invisible organ has only recently been visualized, the unraveling of its functions, coupled with an understanding of its origins, could lead to major changes in the areas of health care, education, and health. health, nutrition and personal traits.
Springer
The identification of each microbial constituent and its role will make it possible to classify each individual according to their type of microbe; this has the potential to be as revolutionary as the discovery of blood groups in the twentieth century. Microbial fingerprinting would result in a dramatic change in the quality of health and delivery.
The manipulation and enrichment of certain microbial communities – called microbiome engineering – would improve health, rejuvenate organs, improve traits and lead to more effective drugs.
Creams for skin diseases and nutritional supplements enriched with microbes, supplemented with microbes, are already widely touted as personalized remedies. Tracking microbes and their metabolites can become a common molecular strategy for identifying individuals and even their behaviors.
We are just at the dawn of a health revolution that can change the game in society.
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