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Full Description
This book discusses the community of microbial species (the microbiota, microbiome), which inhabits the large bowel of humans. Written from the perspective of an academic who has been familiar with the topic for 40 years, it provides a long-term perspective of knowledge about this high profile and fast-moving topic. Building on general ecological principles, the book aims to help the reader to understand how the microbiota is formed, how it works, and what the consequences are to humans.
Understanding the Gut Microbiota focuses on conceptual progress made from studies of the human bowel microbiota. Where appropriate, it draws on knowledge obtained from other animal species to provide conceptual enlightenment, but this is essentially a book about humans and their bowel microbes. Particular research approaches are recommended to fill knowledge gaps so that fundamental ecological theory and information about the microbiota can be translated into benefits for human health. The relationship between food for humans and resulting food for bowel bacteria emerges as an important topic for consideration.
This concise scholarly treatise of the microbiota of the human bowel will be of great interest and use as a text and reference work for professionals, teachers and students across a wide range of disciplines, including the health sciences, general biology, and food science and technology. The provision of handy 'explanation of terms' means that those with a general interest in science can also read the book with enjoyment.
Contents
Preface vii
Acknowledgements ix
1 Introduction 1
References 4
2 Prime Facts 7
Summary 14
Explanation of Terms 15
References 16
3 A Sense of Community 19
Summary 33
Explanation of Terms 33
References 35
4 Assembling Communities 39
Summary 55
Explanation of Terms 55
References 56
5 Bowel Society 63
References 69
6 Chemostat Bowel 71
Summary 82
Explanation of Terms 82
References 83
7 Revealing Secret Lives 87
Summary 98
Explanation of terms 98
References 101
8 Remembrance of Microbes Past 105
Summary 111
References 112
9 Out of Tune: Dysbiosis 115
Summary 130
Explanation of Terms 130
References 132
10 We may be Lost, but we're Making Good Time 139
Particularly Important Considerations 143
Running Out of Fuel? 145
The End of the Journey 146
References 146
Addendum: A Brief Summary of Technological Aspects of ]omics 149
General Features of Nucleic Acid-based Technology 149
Older Electrophoretic Methods for Screening Microbiota Compositions 150
Fluorescent Probes (FISH/FC) 151
Measuring the Abundance of Bacterial Groups by qPCR 152
Using DNA Chips to Screen Microbiota Compositions 153
Detailed Phylogenetic Analysis 154
Metagenomics: Determining the Functional Capacity of Microbiotas 155
Metatranscriptomics: Microbiota Biochemical Pathways in Action 156
Metaproteomics 157
Metabolomics 157
Summary 158
References 159
Index 163
