our microbiomes

8/14/2019 Our Microbiomes

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Our MicrobiomesAn article published recently in Dream 20 47 , a monthly science magazine published by Vigyan Prasar,

an autonomous institution sponsored by DST Government of India

Scientists have long knon that the human body coe!ists ith trillions o" individual germs, hat they

call the microbiome# $ntil no, they%ve mostly studied those that cause disease& 'ne may recall health

o""icials saying about a third o" the population carries Staphylococcus aureus harmlessly in their noses

or on their skin but can in"ect other# (ndeed, ithin the body o" a healthy adult, microbial cells are

estimated to outnumber human cells by a "actor o" ten to one) although their total mass is much less

because the mass o" these cells is much less then that o" cells that are conventionally believed to

solely constitute a human body#

*o an e""ort is underay to take advantage o" recent technological advances and to develop ne

ones# +he *ational (nstitutes o" ealth , an institution in $S- .somehat akin to (/1 in (ndia has

initiated a research initiative termed as the uman icrobiome Pro3ect .P# (t is as big a pro3ect as

the uman enome Pro3ect, that revealed the D*- se5uences o" the various genes o" cells in our

body# +he mission o" P is to generate resources enabling comprehensive characterization o" each

microbe present in a human body and analysis o" its role in human health and disease#

+raditional microbiology has "ocused on the study o" individual species as isolated units# oever

many, i" not most, have never been success"ully isolated as viable specimens "or analysis, presumably

because their groth is dependent upon a speci"ic micro6environment that has not been, or cannot be,

reproduced e!perimentally# -mong those species that have been isolated, analyses o" genetic makeup,
http://www.vigyanprasar.gov.in/dream/November2013/DreamNovember2013Eng.pdfhttp://www.vigyanprasar.gov.in/dream/November2013/DreamNovember2013Eng.pdfhttp://www.vigyanprasar.gov.in/dream/November2013/DreamNovember2013Eng.pdfhttp://www.vigyanprasar.gov.in/dream/November2013/DreamNovember2013Eng.pdf


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gene e!pression patterns, and metabolic physiologies have rarely e!tended to inter6species interactions

or microbe6host interactions#

Some relevant questions and their answers:

# -re the microbiome o" every human body similar, i" not hy8

2# 9here is the microbiome location ithin a body8

:# 9hat is the genesis o" microbiome in a body8

4# 9hat are the e""ects o" the microbiome present in a body on its health8

;# /an a microbiome a""ect the mind and hence the behavior o" a person8


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enter the body through air that is breathed in) some through ater, "ood and still others through

contact ith persons around and ob3ects surrounding the person at di""erent stages o" li"e#

(ndeed scientists have developed an atlas o" the bacteria that live in di""erent regions o" the

human body#

4# +he microbes a""ect the "unctioning o" the cells o" our tissues, they a""ect our immunity toards

attack "rom other harm"ul microbes# +here is a prevalent idea that the composition o" bacteria

present in the intestines o" a person may a""ect mood and behavior# +his idea is supported by a

series o" elegant studies by several published scienti"ic studies#

;# +he idea that the composition o" bacteria present in the body o" a person may a""ect mood and

behavior is supported by a series o" elegant studies by several published scienti"ic studies# >or

e!ample, a recent study shoed that a speci"ic dietary manipulation positively a""ected memory

and reduced an!iety6like behaviour, these changes ere associated ith signi"icant increases in

diversity o" the microbiome as analyzed by the most up6to6date molecular methodology,

.pyrose5uencing# icrobes present in a body are not static, they can travel throughout the body

using the blood stream so they can indeed a""ect the nerve cells that control the body and its

mind#


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microbes settling on it as soon as it get e!posed to the atmosphere# -ll biological organisms have a

microbiome o" their on, hich get trans"erred to our body as soon as e ingest them# Aven i" one

does not get sick on eating drinking or breathing something, the microbiome ithin is sloly a""ected

and may lead to a disease in the long term# oever, body o" a really healthy person has lots o"

immunity, and it is very likely that some o" the microbes get e!creted hether through urination,

de"ecation or seat, these processes indeed help in keeping the balance o" the microbiome# 'nly, hen

one is careless "or a longer period, even a healthy body can not de"end its healthy microbiome# +here is

indeed some truth in the time tested isdom o" eating satvic "ood, and avoid "ast "oods and commercial

beverages, besides living in a pollution "ree environment#

(ndeed stomach upsets, diarrhea, constipation, acidity and indigestion are symptoms o" some change in

intestinal microbiome#

Toiletries and Cosmetics

anu"acturers o" cosmetics and toiletries o"ten dupe customers to believe that any microbe is

dangerous "or a human body) that any natural body odors are "oul and must be suppressed ith the

smell o" some per"umes# ost o" these products are targeted "or the skin or teeth# +he claims and the

belie" purported have no basis on "acts supported by scienti"ic investigations# (n "act some o" them may

have long term adverse e""ect on a human body# Aach o" them do a""ect the balance present in the

microbiome o" the skin or in the mouth hich may help the healthy groth o" the body# +hese products

3ust like the "ood items also carry in them some microbes, that can alter the microbial composition o"

the microbiome they get in contact ith#

Diseases

(nnumerable diseases can a""ect a human body# Despite the e""orts o" innumerable persons ho have

contributed "or the development o" a very large body o" knoledge about the causes and cures o" very

many diseases, it still remains a mystery hy a particular disease attacks a particular person at a

particular time# >or many diseases the knoledge is still incomplete and lots o" e""ort is a"oot to "ind

more knoledge# (t is very likely that the microbiome o" the body o" a particular person may help in

"inding the clues#

'ne such disease is -myotrophic Bateral Sclerosis, commonly knon as -BS# (nspite o" e""orts o"

many scientists no cure "or this disease have been "ound# +he disease usually strikes beteen age 40

and


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neurons transmit messages "rom your brain and spinal cord to your voluntary muscles 6 the ones you

can control, like in your arms and legs# -t "irst, this causes mild muscle problems# Some people notice

+rouble alking or running

+rouble riting

Speech problems

+he author believes that he himsel" is su""ering "rom this disease, and that its cause is the microbiome

o" his body# e is trying Cogic e!ercise regularly, and believes that it is sloly getting cured#

Aven diseases "or hich medical systems have "ound some cure, there is a "ailure o" understanding the

cause# >or e!ample one "ails to understand hy the itching rashes appear on a particular part o" skin#

=esides physiological diseases there are many mental diseases, "or hich no clue is available# >or

e!ample autism, or the urge to indulge in unnatural se!ual activities, like raping a minor that is

becoming not very rare in (ndia# 9hy do some people get into a "it to indulge in such a cruel violence,

no one really knos# (t can be sa"ely con3ectured that "uture research "inding about human microbiome

may reveal some "acts#

Research

+raditional microbiology has "ocused on the study o" individual species as isolated units# oever

many, i" not most, have never been success"ully isolated as viable specimens "or analysis, presumably

because their groth is dependent upon a speci"ic micro environment that has not been, or cannot be,

reproduced e!perimentally# -mong those species that have been isolated, analyses o" genetic makeup,

gene e!pression patterns, and metabolic physiologies have rarely e!tended to inter6species interactions

or microbe6host interactions# -dvances in D*- se5uencing technologies have created a ne "ield o"

research, meta6genomics, that allos comprehensive e!amination o" microbial communities, even

those comprised o" cultivatable organisms# (nstead o" e!amining the genome o" an individual bacterial

strain that has been gron in a laboratory, the meta6gnomic approach allos analysis o" genetic

material derived "rom complete microbial communities harvested "rom natural environments# (t can

there"ore be sa"ely concluded, that there has not be su""icient scienti"ic e""ort devoted toards research

about human microbiome mainly due to lack o" tools available#

/onventional techni5ues used in scienti"ic research about microbes depend on the isolation o" D*- o"

the target microbe to characterize and hence di""erentiate it "rom others# +he main di""iculty indeed in

identi"ying the microbes that may be much "eer in number, but are present amongst a large population

o" other kinds o" cells#

+here is indeed a need "or much research to "ind innovative techni5ues that can unravel many mysteries


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lying buried still in ignorance# Coung science students o"ten believe that almost everything is knon at

present and very little i" any signi"icant discoveries can be made in science#

Conclusion

(n (ndia there is hardly i" any research underay on human microbiomes# (t is am emerging challenge

"or all scientists# (ndians need to recognize this challenge and give serious thought toards contributing

actively in this "ield# any myths are promoted and disseminated through the present science

education&

# +hat almost all that can be discovered has already been discovered# +here is little opportunity

to establish onesel" as a scientist renoned orldide#

2# +hat every human body is almost similar to others o" its kind, e!cept some di""erences in

genomes#

:# - human body is much like an automobile, ith parts like the engines, carburettor, heels etc#

(" and hen one gets ill, the illness is o" that part only, hich may be repaired or replaced# +hat

the de"ect in a part need not be transmitted to other parts) in short a lack o" holistic vie#

4# +here is a one to one relationship beteen a gene and a disease, this myth discounts the

possibility that the cause o" diseases may be a community o" several microbes and not 3ust a

single microbe#

1e"erences&

# =ugs (nside& 9hat appens 9hen the icrobes +hat Eeep $s ealthy Disappear8 , Eatherine

armon, Scienti"ic -merican, Dec# < 200?

2# Structure, "unction and diversity o" the healthy human microbiome, *ature, 4F

our microbiomes

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