Enteric bacteria are major microorganisms that colonise human’s gastrointestinal tract- a long tube containing specialised sections such as the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, intestines, rectum and the anus. Gut bacteria make up approximately 95 percent of the total cells in the body, with the colon containing the densest microbial communities (Gibson, Rastall and Fuller 2008: 52). Human gastrointestinal tract consists of 100 different prokaryotic species, and with two bacterial species, firmicutes and bacteroicidetes dominating them (Brooker et al. 2011: 559).
The general make up of enteric bacteria is influenced by various factors including: microbial species obtained from birth, use of antibiotics, dietary intake and genetic material. Diet plays a major role in the gut environment and, changes in dietary nutrients such as, carbohydrates, fats and proteins can have a huge impact on the composition of gut bacteria. The digestion of food in the gastrointestinal tract is vital in humans, however, humans do not code for all the enzymes required to breakdown non-digestible substances and so they rely on enteric bacteria to degrade: resistant starch, non digestible carbohydrates and mucin (Scott et al. 2013:52-69).
This essay will focus on how gut bacteria can affect weight and, the mutualistic relationship between gut bacteria and the human in maintaining normal health.
Gut bacteria keep humans healthy by stimulating the digestive process within the large intestines. In order for nutrients to be successfully absorbed in the colon, non-digestible carbohydrates are degraded by beneficial gut microbial. One example of an anaerobically respiring bacterium which dominates the large intestine is bacteroide thetaiotaomicron. This bacteri...
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... from< http://www.bpgastro.com/article/S1521-6918(13)00061-9/fulltext> [29 August 2013]
Willey,J., Sherwood, L., Woolverton, C. (2011) Prescott’s Microbiology. New York:McGraw-Hill, 729
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661812002083).
Willey,J., Sherwood, L., Woolverton, C. (2011) Prescott’s Microbiology. New York:McGraw-Hill, 729
Cani, P., Possemiers, S., Wiele, T., Guiot, Y., Everard, A., Rottier, O., Geurts, L., Naslain, D., Neyrinck, A., Lambert, D., Muccioli, G., Delzenne, N. (2009) ‘Changes in gut microbiota control inflammation in obese mice through a mechanism involving GLP-2-driven improvement of gut permeability’ NCBI [online] 58 (8), 1091–1103. Available from < http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2702831/> [11 november 2011]
Willey,J., Sherwood, L., Woolverton, C. (2011) Prescott’s Microbiology. New York:McGraw-Hill, 756
Jennifer Ackerman's main focus in her article The Ultimate Social Network, is that of the functions concerning bacteria within humans. Although scientists have had presumptions about humans being proficient in governing their body’s innermost structure, they soon come to recognize the sophistication of our inner space which holds an extensive plethora of bacteria and other microorganisms that lie within each and every one of us. Moreover, scientists' new and emerging view of how the human body operates, and the cause of increasing present-day diseases (i.e. obesity and different autoimmune disorders) are uncovered by analyzing effects of certain microbe species in our bodies. By italicizing on points such as the above, in conjunction with bacteria's genetic variations, and modern computing technology, the author proves that scientists are quickly progressing with the characterization the most prevalent species of microbes, which, in her opinion, is definitely paying off.
Enriori PJ, Evans AE, Sinnayah P, Cowley MA. Leptin resistance and obesity. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2006;14 Suppl 5(S8):254S-258S.
Many children around the world , especially in third world countries suffer many bacterial infection of the gastrointestinal system as a result of lack of awareness and the spread of the disease in the less attention to hygiene and the environment . In order to explain this word gastrointestinal tract infection , especially the stomach and intestines , it can result from infection by bacteria or virus or other parasites (1) . Some of the causes of inflammation as a result of eating food poisoning , especially meat and eggs . However , some symptoms of severe cases are headache , nausea , vomiting , general weakness , diarrhea and pain , the illness begins suddenly with high fever , vomiting , abdominal pain and stool liquid to water that may contain some blood and mucus . The result of drought through loss of fluids and salts and lead an alliance with the poisoning to the collapse of the circulatory system in diseases such as cholera (2) . It must be conducted in diagnosing bacterial to find the source of infection because it causes illness and death of millions in the third world and in particularly children as mentioned . In this report will refer to the most common types of bacteria cause gastrointestinal tract infection for example , Shigella , Salmonella , Vibrio and Campylobacter (3) . First of all , Shigella is gram negative , nonmotile , non lactose fermenting and H2S production . There are four important species , S. sonnei , S. flexneri , S. boydii and S. dysenteriae is the most serious . Next is Salmonella which is gram negative as well , non lactose fermenting and production H2S . These species are S. typhi and S. paratyphi found in humans and animals . Finally , Campylobacter is gram negati...
E. coli are bacteria that can cause an infection in various parts of your body, including your intestines. E. coli bacteria normally live in the intestines of people and animals. Most types of E. coli do not cause infections, but some produce a poison (toxin) that can cause diarrhea. Depending on the toxin, this can cause mild or severe diarrhea.
Sethi, J. K., Vidal-Puig, A. J., (2007). Targeting fat to prevent diabetes. Cell Metab. . 5 (5), 357-70.
To understand the human gut health and aetiology, the first step is to understand the gastrointestinal (GI) microflora and its distribution through the digestive system [2]. The human GI tract is inhabited by trillions of microorganisms, which together is known as the microbiota [5]. These microorganisms come from both archeal and bacterial domains. Bacteria are the predominant kingdom of organisms and it is composed mainly by five bacterial phyla: Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia [3]. The great majority of mammalian gut microbiota belongs to the three phyla: the Gram-negative anaerobe Bacteroidetes, the Gram-positive Actinobacteria and Firmicutes [5].
The food digestion plays an undeniably important role in our body system, which is the main way for the human kind to gain nutrients and energy in order to growth, repairs the body cells, and carry out the daily routine (National Institutes of Health, 2013). The foods and drinks that people consume are required to be turned into the smaller nutrient-molecules before the blood absorbs and carries the various nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals to the body cells (National Institutes of Health, 2013). According to National Institutes of Health (2013), the decomposition of food nutrients are completed through the digestive system which form by the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, also defined as digestive tract, and along liver, pancreas and gallbladder as well. The GI tract is made up of a series of hollow organs with the connection from mouth to anus, which consisting buccal cavity (mouth), esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. Based on Batrisya (2013), the food digestive process are classified into four stages, that are ingestion, digestion, absorption, and egestion or elimination (refer to Figure 1 in Appendix 1).
The human gut contains a huge diversity of bacteria and the microbiota, which is crucially important for maintaining human health. According to Greiner et al, the gut microbiome plays an important role as a regulator to modulate human’s metabolism when there is a change in the environment. It is because that the gut microbiome is composed of many different bacterial species, and thus it is a multicellular organ with a metabolic function (2011). Despite the huge diversity of the gut microbiome, there are only three groups of bacteria are dominated in human gut microbiome, which include Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria (Greiner et al 2011).
In order to test the effects a pure Soylent diet has on gut microbiome diversity, 125 college students will be recruited and given either a control or Soylent diet. Students will submit a stool sample to record their initial gut microbiome diversity (Gordon et al. 2006). This initial test will be used to divide the students into two different groups, low initial gut microbiome diversity and high initial gut microbiome diversity. The low initial gut microbiome diversity group is defined as having 11 or fewer predominant species of bacteria in their gut, while the high initial microbiome diversity group is defined as having 16 or more predominant species of bacteria present in their gut (Crittenden et al. 2002). Individuals who have between
...standing the nature of relationship between the residing microbes inside human cells and about their function is very important to put an end to this war and to live in peace with the natural organisms that are benefitting human body and their survival has become our primary importance.
Among hospitalized patients around the world, Clostridium difficile is the primary source of infectious diarrhea. Previously, continuously unbalanced intestinal microbiota, usually due to antimicrobials, was deemed a precondition of developing the infection. However, recently, there have been alterations in the biology from virtually infecting the elderly population exclusively, wherein the microbiota in their guts have been interrupted by antimicrobials, to currently infecting individuals within of all age groups displaying no recent antimicrobial use. Furthermore, recent reports have confirmed critical occurrences among groups previously assumed to be of minimal risk—pregnant women, children, and individuals with no previous exposure to antimicrobials, for instance. Unfortunately, this Gram-positive, toxin-producing anaerobic bacterium is estimated to cost US critical care facilities $800 million per year at present, suggesting the need for effective measures to eliminate this nosocomial infection (Yakob, Riley, Paterson, & Clements, 2013).
Enterococcus faecalis is a genus of gram positive cocci and form short chains or are arranged in pairs. They are nonmotile, facultative anaerobic organisms and can survive in harsh conditions in nature. There are over 15 species of the Enterococcus genus but about 90% of clinical isolates are E. faecalis. E. faecalis is a nosocomial pathogen because it is commonly found in the hospital environment and can cause life-threatening infections in humans. It is a bacterium that normally inhabits the intestinal tract in humans and animals but when found in other body locations it can cause serious infections. The most common sites for E. faecalis infections are the heart, bloodstream, urinary tract, and skin wounds. Due to vancomycin-resistant Enterococci, many antibiotics have been shown ineffective in the treatment. In this paper, I will describe the ecology and pathology of E. faecalis; the antibacterial resistance; treatment; and, what you can do to prevent Enterococcus infection.
Bacterial cells, like plant cells, are surrounded by a cell wall. However, bacterial cell walls are made up of polysaccharide chains linked to amino acids, while plant cell walls are made up of cellulose, which contains no amino acids. Many bacteria secrete a slimy capsule around the outside of the cell wall. The capsule provides additional protection for the cell. Many of the bacteria that cause diseases in animals are surrounded by a capsule. The capsule prevents the white blood cells and antibodies from destroying the invading bacterium. Inside the capsule and the cell wall is the cell membrane. In aerobic bacteria, the reactions of cellular respiration take place on fingerlike infoldings of the cell membrane. Ribosomes are scattered throughout the cytoplasm, and the DNA is generally found in the center of the cell. Many bacilli and spirilla have flagella, which are used for locomotion in water. A few types of bacteria that lack flagella move by gliding on a surface. However, the mechanism of this gliding motion is unknown. Most bacteria are aerobic, they require free oxygen to carry on cellular respiration. Some bacteria, called facultatibe anaerobes can live in either the presence or absence of free oxygen. They obtain energy either by aerobic respiration when oxygen is present or by fermentation when oxygen is absent. Still other bacteria cannot live in the presence of oxygen. These are called obligate anaerobes. Such bacteria obtain energy only fermentation. Through fermentation, different groups of bacteria produce a wide variety of organic compounds. Besides ethyl alcohol and lactic acid, bacterial fermentation can produce acetic acid, acetone, butyl alcohol, glycol, butyric acid, propionic acid, and methane, the main component of natural gas. Most bacteria are heterotrophic bacteria are either saprophytes or parasites. Saprophytes feed on the remains of dead plants and animals, and ordinarily do not cause disease. They release digestive enzymes onto the organic matter. The enzymes breakdown the large food molecules into smaller molecules, which are absorbed by the bacterial cells. Parasites live on or in living organisms, and may cause disease. A few types of bacteria are Autotrophic, they can synthesize the organic nutrients they require from inorganic substances. Autotrophic bacteria are either photosynthetic or Chemosynthetic. The photosynthetic bacteria contain chlorophyll that are different from the plant chlorophyll. In bacterial photosynthesis, hydrogen is obtained by the splitting of compounds other than water.
Gastroenteritis, sometimes referred to as infectious diarrhoea is a common disease that affects millions of people annually. It is a disease caused by viruses, bacteria or parasites that enter the human body and spread, which induce symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and nausea. Although it is a common occurrence in society and is usually not harmful, cases of gastroenteritis in less developed countries may have more fatal repercussions due to their inability to access ample means of treatment. Over time, as more research was conducted into the disease, scientific developments were made to aid those affected by gastroenteritis and reduce the number of fatalities by educating people regarding preventative methods.
Postlethwait, John H., and Janet L. Hopson. "Body Function and Nutrition." Modern Biology. Orlando: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2006. Print.