Bio 214 Human-Microbe Interactions

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Marian University *

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Biology

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Jan 9, 2024

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Human - Microbe Interactions Assignment 1) Explain how the human body could be considered 90 % prokaryotic . The biological world is composed of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells . ( eukaryotic, containing a nucleus ) There are approximately 1 trillion human cells ( eukaryotic ) that make up our bodies containing our complex DNA systems . Surprisingly, there are 10 times more bacterial cells ( prokaryotic ) that cover our bodies at every given moment ( Bassler, 2009). As a result of this, the human body could be considered 90 % prokaryotic . 2) How do bacteria enable a baby to extract nutrition from the mother ' s milk? ( See the paper and be very specific about the enzymes involved ). One of the crucial jobs bacteria does is extract important nutrients from the food we eat An example of how this works is with mothers milk . Bacteria produce an enzyme called glycoside hydrolase which converts carbohydrates ( glycans ) into usable sugars ( Biagi, 2017). If not for the pro - bacteria breaking down glycans, babies would not be able to receive the sugars from the mothers milk as nutrients . 3) How could the bacterial microbiome impact obesity? When comparing intestinal bacteria in obese and lean individuals, researchers noted that there was a big difference in the gut bacteria found ( Me, Myself, Us, 2012). Leaner people had a wider variety of bacteroidetes that were in effect, more efficient at breaking down fibers and starches into smaller molecules, while obese people had less bacterial microbiome species and burned fat at a slower rate ( Wallis, 2014). 4) What is Clostridium difficile and why is a Clostridium difficile infection so difficult to treat? C difficile is a bacterium that infects and causes severe damage to the large intestine . It causes terrible diarrhea, stomach aches, and fever ( Mayo 2021). The reason C difficile is so fatal and difficult to treat, is because the infection is resistant to many common antibiotics . When given a heavy dose of antibiotics in a hospital setting, it will eventually break down the good bacteria that prevents gut infection ( Me, Myself, Us, 2012). 5) How can bacteria impact cardiac disease? The human metabolism has a first hand effect on cardiac problems . Dr Nicholson discovered that blood pressure is directly related to the amount of formic acid in a person ' s urine ( Me, Myself, Us, 2012). When

experimenting on mice, researchers found that giving a certain bacteria, was able to prevent inflammation and slow the plaque buildup in arteries ( Corliss, 2016). 6) How might the bacterial microbiota affect type 2 diabetes? Performing a procedure on morbidly obese individuals that effectively short circuits the small intestine results in a change in the gut microbiome which vanishes type 2 diabetes . This finding supports the theory that bacterial microbiota affect how the gut functions and insulin sensitivity, which can cause diabetes ( Me, myself, us . 2020). This can happen through several mechanisms, including alterations of energy homoeostasis and glucose metabolism ( Allin, Nielsen, and Pedersen 2015). 7) How can bacteria impact autoimmune diseases? The wall of the intestine forms a barrier that is important to containing gut microbes . If the lining is broken through, and a gut microbe is able to get into the bloodstream and nearby organs, it can cause disease ( Harrison Wein, Ph . D .2018). Many of the immune - system cells are located in the gut wall, and their job is to differentiate between the good and bad bacteria .. Sometimes the body gets confused and ends up attacking its own cells which leads to an autoimmune disease . Dr . Nicholson connected autoimmune diseases such as type -1 diabetes to the microbiome, by explaining how it confuses the immune system ( Me, myself, us . 2020). 8) How does Vibrio fischeri control bioluminescence? Vibrio fischeri control bioluminescence by communicating with a chemical language . When the bacterial cell is alone it doesn’t make any light, instead it secretes small molecules that float away . However, once the bacteria multiply, they all participate in creating these molecules and the extracellular amount of that molecule increases in proportion to cell number . When the molecules hit a certain amount, the high density causes the bacteria to illuminate ( Bassler, 2009). 9) Define pathogenicity and virulence . Pathogenicity is the ability of microorganisms to cause infection and disease . Virulence refers to the degree to which a microbe can invade and damage host tissues ( Chess, 2021 , 442). 10) What are anti - quorum sensing molecules and what might they replace someday?

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