Abstract
Emerging investigation into the physiologic role of the gut microbiome continues to yield new evidence for significant microbial influence across numerous gastrointestinal diseases. Integrating this new knowledge with the existing understanding of disease pathogenesis will be a critically important aspect of medicine in the near future. Furthermore, the gut microbiome and host genetics likely share significant functional overlap, the extent of which we are only beginning to understand. For instance, evidence suggests that starting even before birth the gut microbiome influences immune system development. In the early years of life, the gut microbiome also functions to establish proper metabolic functions of the gastrointestinal tract. Alterations of the normal gut microbiome can even lead to disease development in infancy and early childhood. Later in life, dysbiosis has been shown to be a commonality in inflammatory bowel disease, potentially serving an etiologic role as well. More importantly, there appears to be a significant interaction between the gut microbiome and certain genetic polymorphisms in inflammatory bowel disease, which may help to identify future therapeutic targets. Lastly, the scope of the gut microbiome continues to expand as we discover other microbial inhabitants such as archaea, fungi, and viruses, which all likely influence both normal gastrointestinal function and disease pathogenesis.
Highlights
The gut microbiome is a dynamic facet of the gastrointestinal tract, representing a truly diverse ecosystem with between 500 to 1000 unique bacterial species; at the same time, the gut microbiome represents a commonality with at least 160 species shared among individuals, predominately from the two main bacterial phyla, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes [1]
While there are countless other environmental and genetic factors that may contribute to disease pathogenesis, further understanding of the gut microbiome may help aid in discovering mechanisms to prevent or treat certain diseases during infancy and early childhood
Emerging evidence suggests the gut microbiome is important in the early development of the immune system, demonstrating dynamic changes from birth through infancy and into early childhood
Summary
The gut microbiome is a dynamic facet of the gastrointestinal tract, representing a truly diverse ecosystem with between 500 to 1000 unique bacterial species; at the same time, the gut microbiome represents a commonality with at least 160 species shared among individuals, predominately from the two main bacterial phyla, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes [1]. This article aims to analyze the current literature surrounding the development of the microbiome from birth through infancy and explore the specific microbial alterations associated with the development of several disease states It will examine the overlap between genetic polymorphism and the gut microbiome in the etiology and pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. The emerging role of the archaea, fungi, and viruses in the gut microbiome will be discussed to highlight the vast potentially unexplored sources of influence from the gut microbiome on gastrointestinal and immune function
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