Evaluating the knowledge on microbiome and dysbiosis in allergic diseases among medical sciences students in Saudi Arabia

Aisha Alamri,Suzan A Alkhater

doi:10.1186/s12948-022-00168-x

Abstract

BackgroundMicrobiome science deals with the development of diseases that are derived from the interaction between the host immune system and microbes. Microbiome disturbance or dysbiosis has been increasingly recognized as an important contributor to the pathogenesis of allergic diseases. Thus, this field is pivotal in the management of allergic disorders. Despite the increasing prevalence of allergic disorders in Saudi Arabia, medical students lack knowledge of microbiome science. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the level of knowledge of medical sciences students on the human microbiome, dysbiosis, and management of the impaired microbiome with a focus on allergic diseases and asthma.MethodsAn online survey was designed, validated, and distributed to 100 final-year students and interns majoring in clinical nutrition, public health, and clinical laboratory sciences at a single university in Saudi Arabia. The study period was from November 2020 to January 2021.ResultsThe overall knowledge of the human microbiome was adequate among the participants, but their understanding of dysbiosis and management of the impaired microbiome was low to moderate. Knowledge of dysbiosis management was significantly higher in students majoring in clinical nutrition than in those majoring in public health and clinical laboratory sciences.ConclusionsCollectively, this study provides the first evidence that knowledge of specific domains of microbiome science among a cohort of medical sciences students in Saudi Arabia is insufficient. Large-scale studies are warranted to confirm these observations at a national level, and specific curriculum modifications are necessary to improve the knowledge of future healthcare professionals about clinical applications of microbiome science.

Highlights

Microbiome science deals with the development of diseases that are derived from the interaction between the host immune system and microbes
Knowledge of microbiome science Overall knowledge of microbiome science was adequate among the three medical sciences majors, with clinical laboratory sciences (CLS) having the highest percentage of students with adequate knowledge (83.8%)
No significant differences in overall knowledge level were found among clinical nutrition (CN), CLS, and public health (PH) students (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Microbiome science deals with the development of diseases that are derived from the interaction between the host immune system and microbes. Microbiome disturbance or dysbiosis, which often results from the misuse of antibiotics and specific pathological conditions, has been increasingly recognized as an important contributor to disease pathogenesis [6, 7] In this regard, many studies have investigated the role of microbes in allergic disorders [8, 9], metabolic syndromes [10, 11], and neurological illnesses [12, 13]. The potential therapeutic use of beneficial bacterial strains in the form of nutritional supplements (probiotics) or via a more complex intervention, such as fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), to restore microbial balance, thereby managing disease conditions, has been explored in several inflammatory and metabolic disorders with promising results [14,15,16,17] This evidence from basic science and clinical studies highlights a previously underappreciated role of the microbiome in health and diseases and emphasizes an important emerging need to provide healthcare professionals with updated medical education on these topics

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