Over 10,000 Species of Bacteria in Our Body

For the first time, scientists have recorded in human germ catalog, over 10,000 species of microbes can be found in and in healthy individuals. The bacteria-mostly benign but occasionally causes disease-occupy almost every part of the body, live on the skin, in the stomach and intestines, to the nose (and every other hole), according to the Human Microbiome Project. Gene map germs is the culmination of a five-year effort which spent 173 million U.S. dollars involving hundreds of scientists and dozens of universities. According to a news release from the National Institutes of Health, researchers found the number and variety of microbes vary among habitats body. They also observed that conditions such as temperature and acidity as well as the work done by human cells in various body habitats, seemed to grip microbes that live there.

The research, published in two studies in Nature and in several Public Library of Science (PLoS) journals, offers new details and even some surprises.

Scientists across the globe participated  
in the Human Microbiome Project to map 
out the trillions of microbes living in and
 on the human body, finding that microbes 
outnumber human cells 10 to 1. (Pictures
from: http://theweek.com/)

For example, there are about 4,000 species of microbes in the gut, they help digest nutrients and produce vitamins and anti-inflammatory compounds. On the other hand, the vagina only has about 300 species and diversity decreased during pregnancy to provide a healthy for the baby. "This is a new way of looking at human biology and human disease, and it was amazing. Bacteria are not passengers, they are metabolically active. As a community we now have to account for them as we have to take into account in forest ecosystems or water bodies," said Dr. Phillip Tarr, professor in pediatrics of Washington University in St. Louis, one of the lead researchers, told The Associated Press.

"It’s not possible to understand human health and disease without exploring the massive community of microorganisms we carry around with us," said Dr George Weinstock, pathologist, immunologist and one of the project’s principal investigators. "Our bodies are part of a microbial world," said Dr Weinstock.

A team of researchers funded in part by the Human Microbiome Project NIH Fund Generally, have sequenced and analyzed a unique class of bacteria that have passed the test of growth in a laboratory setting for more than 40 years. This segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB), was found in mice and other mammals and is known as the first commensal bacteria (non-pathogenic) identified affect the host immune system.

In the current study, researchers collected droppings from mice colonized only by the SFB and then menggunakah sequencing platforms to acquire and build a complete genome sequence.

It appears that most of the genetic material is lost because the bacteria count on the host for many of the things they need to grow and survive. In fact, one of the few classes of genes carrying metabolites from the host intestine.

This finding explains why it has been so difficult to grow the organism outside the host and highlight the close association of these bacteria with their hosts. A very close relationship between host and microbes may be one reason why these bacteria help recruit immune cells that protect their hosts from pathogenic enteric bacteria.

Although SFB has not been found in humans, the findings from this study will be an important resource for further investigation of the role microbes play in the host immune system and overall metabolism. *** [THEWEEK | DAILYMAIL | DEDI RISKOMAR | PIKIRAN RAKYAT 27092012]
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