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Our relationship
with microbes is complicated; some make us sick but some help out our immune
system. But Caltech professor of biology and biological engineering Sarkis
Mazmanian recently discovered in a study that beneficial gut bacteria were
necessary for the development of specialized white blood cells, that serve as
the body’s first line of defense against pathogens. The study looked at the
immune cell population in germ-free mice, which are mice born with gut
bacteria, and in healthy mice with a normal population of gut microbes. In the
study the researchers discovered that the healthy mice had more immune cells
than the germ-free mice, which makes them better able to fight off infections.
They also discovered that the germ-free mice had fewer granulocyte and monocyte
progenitor cells, which are cell that eventually develop into a few types of
mature immune cells. The researchers
tested to see if the mouse with a reduced amount of immune cells was able to
fight off infection as well as the healthy mice. So they injected the mice with
Listeria monocytogenes, the healthy
mice were able to fight off the infection and recuperate but the infection was
fatal to the germ-free mice. The research suggests that a healthy population of
gut microbes can provide a alternative to antibiotics.What is really
interesting about this study is that what is causing all these affects are the
gut microbes; they are affecting areas like blood, spleen, and bone marrow,
which are places where there shouldn’t be any bacteria.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140312132632.htm
I did an article like this a couple of months back about gut microbes. It is true that some microbes are beneficial for the body because they help fight off more dangerous diseases and also help with digesting, but gut microbes can also be a main reason for obesity. There is usually a 50/50 harm and helpful ration with microbes and thats what makes the human body work most of the time. I'm glad I could relate to this article and understand the benefits gut microbes bring.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading a blog about this a while back. I also find it interesting how microbes can be detrimental or beneficial to our health. We've also had lectures about the benefits that microbes can bring. I think this research has a lot of potential in bringing alternatives to using antibiotics. That would be a great finding because antibiotics can kill a lot of beneficial bacteria. For example, some women develop yeast infections after taking antibiotics. H. pylori helps to regulate body weight. If an alternative to antibiotics is found, we won't have to kill microbes that are beneficial to our well being.
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