The community of microorganisms living in our intestine is ~10 times greater in number than the total number of somatic and germ cells that compose our body. Our relationship with colonizing gut microbes begins at birth. The specific constitution of this microbial community or microbiome varies between individuals and between the various regions of the gastrointestinal tract. The relationship b...

The human intestine is home to very large numbers of micro-organisms, with bacterial cells exceeding 10 ml in the colon. The impact that this complex community has upon the host is increasingly recognized not only as a potential source of infection but also as a contributor to nutrient and energy supply, gut development and immune homeostasis. Recent evidence has indicated links between gut mic...

The mechanisms by which intestinal bacteria achieve their associated health benefits can be complex and multifaceted. In this respect, the diverse microbial composition of the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) provides an almost unlimited potential source of bioactive substances (pharmabiotics) which can directly or indirectly affect human health. Bacteriocins and fatty acids are just two exam...

An indirect immunoperoxidase method was used to visualise immunoglobulin-containing cells in the large intestinal mucosa of 10 children who had defunctioning colostomies. Intestine deprived of its usual exposure to intraluminal antigens contained less immunocytes per unit area than intestinal mucosa subjected to normal stimulation by dietary and microbial antigens. These findings substantiate i...

An immense number of bacteria reside within the intestinal lumen. The task of appropriately identifying and responding to microbial threats lies primarily with the single layer of cells that line the intestinal tract. Intestinal epithelial cells have developed a number of strategies aimed at identifying microorganisms and eliciting the appropriate inflammatory response. The pathogen recognition...

This study examined the effects of brewers yeast, fructooligosaccharide (FOS), and GroBiotic-A, a mixture of partially autolyzed brewers yeast, dairy components and dried fermentation products, on the intestinal microbial community of red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus. Gastrointestinal (GI) tracts were aseptically removed from three sub-adult red drum previously maintained on a commercial diet and ...

Bacterial consortium transplantation (BCT) is a promising alternative to fecal microbiota transplantation in treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Here, we showed that a defined bacterial consortium derived from healthy mice was able to enhance the intestinal barrier function of mice with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Interestingly, we found that the bacterial consortium si...

The role of intestinal microflora in digestive and metabolic processes has received increasing attention from researchers and clinicians. Both enterocytes and small intestine luminal microorganisms can degrade peptides and amino acids (AA). Further, enterocytes can utilize ammonia via glutamate, glutamine, citrulline, and urea synthesis, whereas luminal microbes will deaminate AA, hydrolyze lum...

Microbial recognition by multicellular organisms is initially accomplished by a group of pattern recognition receptors which are specialized to recognize microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) such as lipopolysaccharide, bacterial lipoprotein, CpG DNA motif, double strand RNA and flagellin. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are the representative pattern recognition receptors, and microbial rec...

Nutritional practices that promote good health and optimal athletic performance are of interest to athletes, coaches, exercise scientists and dietitians. Probiotic supplements modulate the intestinal microbial flora and offer promise as a practical means of enhancing gut and immune function. The intestinal microbial flora consists of diverse bacterial species that inhabit the gastrointestinal t...