Microbiome, << MY kroh by ohm, >> is the vast and diverse community of microbes that live within and on plants and animals. These microbes include various kinds of bacteria , viruses , and fungi . Microbes are found all over the human body , including on the skin , in the mouth , in the gastrointestinal tract, and on mucous membranes. The gastrointestinal tract is the long tube that carries food and food wastes through the body. It includes the esophagus , the stomach , and the intestines . Mucous membranes line organs and passages of the body that open to the outside. People tend to think of microbes as germs that enter the body and cause disease . However, scientists recognize that it is normal for humans to be colonized by a diverse community of microbes. Most of these microbes do not cause disease. They are actually essential for maintaining health .
The microbes of the human microbiome live in dense communities. These microbes are small compared to the cells of the body. Scientists estimate that there are ten times as many cells in the microbiome as are in the body. Collectively, the microbiome contains more genes than the body does. Genes are the chemical instructions that help determine the characteristics of a living thing. Scientists are working to understand the various relationships between the body and the microbiome. They have found that a healthy, diverse microbiome is essential to the well-being of the host. Eliminating or altering the microbiome can actually harm a person’s health.
The microbiome’s ability to make and break down compounds plays a key role in health. For example, the human body cannot produce certain nutrients, such as vitamin K. This vitamin helps the liver produce one of the main clotting factors in blood . However, intestinal microbes manufacture vitamin K in the body. Microbes in the human gastrointestinal tract also help break down a variety of undigestable starches , mostly from plant foods. The microbes break down these starches and use some of them for energy. The remaining energy is available to the human host.
Scientists are interested in how changes to the microbiome occur and how they may affect a person’s health. Researchers suspect that the widespread use of antibiotics has led to changes in the microbiome. Antibiotics are medicines designed to kill microbes that cause disease. However, they can also kill beneficial microbes. Antibiotics may thus unintentionally harm the health of people who take them to treat an infection. Scientists hope to come up with ways to repair the microbiome and to prevent harmful changes from occurring. Researchers are investigating the use of probiotics to prevent or treat certain illnesses and improve overall health. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that normally live in the human digestive system as part of the microbiome. Medical experts say that much more research is needed on the effects of probiotics on the microbiome.
