Genomic Islands in the Gut Microbiome: Current Knowledge and the Application in the Probiotics Field

Abstract

Intestinal microorganisms play a significant role in human health, they are considered part of the human being. The number of functional genes in intestinal microorganisms far exceeds those in human functional genes and contributes to many metabolic processes related to the state of health and pathology of the body. The number and degree of diversity of intestinal microorganisms varies with a number of factors such as age, psychology, eating habits, drug consumption, place of residence in the digestive tract, and medical condition of the body. All bacteria, viruses, their genomes and environmental factors found in the human colon make up the intestinal microbiome. Microorganisms are closely connected to the hosts and are distinguished by genomic islands (GIs), which play an important role in microbe evolution and genetics. At this time, with the development of genome sequencing tools, the relationships between bacteria and hosts are increasingly well established and the role of gut microflora is confirmed. In this chapter, we find out about the genomic islands present in the intestinal microflora and focus on pathogenicity islands (PAI), symbiotic islands, antibiotic resistance genetic (ARG), and mobile genomic elements (MGEs). The connection between GIs and human health and its role in the way microorganisms evolve. The role of genomic islands is linked to human health in relation to probiotics, especially probiotics of current interest.