Microbial biofilms and the human intestinal microbiome

Human Microbiome

Humans are almost identical in their genetic pattern, but the slight differences in our DNA lead to remarkable phenotypic variation among the human population. There are a variety of microbial communities and their genes (microbiomes) in the human body that play an essential role in human health and disease. The microbes inhabiting our bodies is quite a bit more variable, with only a third of i...

Diet and the development of the human intestinal microbiome

The important role of the gut microbiome in maintaining human health has necessitated a better understanding of the temporal dynamics of intestinal microbial communities as well as the host and environmental factors driving these dynamics. Genetics, mode of birth, infant feeding patterns, antibiotic usage, sanitary living conditions and long term dietary habits contribute to shaping the composi...

Microbial Biofilms

The Human Intestinal Microbiome: A New Frontier of Human Biology

To analyze the vast number and variety of microorganisms inhabiting the human intestine, emerging metagenomic technologies are extremely powerful. The intestinal microbes are taxonomically complex and constitute an ecologically dynamic community (microbiota) that has long been believed to possess a strong impact on human physiology. Furthermore, they are heavily involved in the maturation and p...

Analyses of the Microbial Diversity across the Human Microbiome

Analysis of human body microbial diversity is fundamental to understanding community structure, biology and ecology. The National Institutes of Health Human Microbiome Project (HMP) has provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine microbial diversity within and across body habitats and individuals through pyrosequencing-based profiling of 16 S rRNA gene sequences (16 S) from habits of the o...