Impact of Microbiome Studies on Human Healthcare

Abstract

Background: Although distinct microbial communities inhabit all body surfaces most of them are located in the intestine. Genome of these microorganisms collectively forms microbiome; of which gut microbiome plays a vital role in human well-being by contributing to metabolism, immune system development, and pathogen regulation. It is also influenced by age, dietary habits, socio-economic status, geographic location, genetic makeup of individuals and varied states of dysbiosis, i.e.., microbial imbalance which leads to a myriad of changes throughout the lifetime. For developing microbiome-based therapies, it is crucial to deduce the relationship between different microbes in an intestinal ecosystem. Purpose: Advancement in the sequencing technology has made it easier to identify the bacterial population residing in an ecosystem at a given time but the evaluation of varied degree of complex interactions between different bacteria is still in its infancy. A study of such kind will provide a systematic approach for further scientific investigations. Approach: Researchers have studied human microbiome by employing next generation sequencing platforms; findings from these studies provide the basis to formulate the network of microbial interactions; while its validation may demand experimentation. Findings: Study focusing on diet and geography by Bhute, et. al., suggests the enrichment of Prevotella and Megasphaera in Indian population - Prevotella is known for degrading complex plant polysaccharides and Megasphaeracan produce short chain fatty acids. There exist a plethora of such observations on association of bacteria in healthy and dysbiosis states like IBD, asthma, insulin resistance, obesity, etc. Research implications: Network stimulations holds great promise for researchers from diverse disciplines and particularly so to the healthcare professionals. Originality: Bioinformatic tools address the bacterial interactions merely on the basis of numbers but our approach of systematic incorporation of data will provide better insights on such interactions. © 2017, Indian Journal of Public Health Research and Development. All rights reserved.