The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics, in its 15th year, held its 2016 Annual Meeting June 7th to 9th in Turku, Finland. Prof. Seppo Salminen, who has more publications on probiotics than any other researcher globally, was the local
New insights into gut microbial community variation from the two largest cohorts to date
10 Jun 2016by Andreu Prados
Two recent studies, the first one led by Dr. Jeroen Raes from the VIB Centre for the Biology of Disease/Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)/KU Leuven-University of Leuven (Belgium), and the second one led by Dr. Jingyuan Fu from the University of Groningen (Netherlands), show gut microbiota variation among healthy individuals related to diet, lifestyle, and medication.
Twin study suggests gut microbial taxa abundance is partly regulated by host genotype
8 Jun 2016by Andreu Prados
A recent study, led by Prof. Ruth Ley from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Cornell University in Ithaca (USA), has found that some human genes related to diet sensing, metabolism, and immunity may have a role in regulating the abundance of certain gut microbial taxa.
Mechanism of probiotic action in healthy individuals still unsettled
6 Jun 2016by Kristina Campbell
A recent systematic review in Genome Medicine, authored by Nadja B. Kristensen and colleagues from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), investigated the impact of probiotic supplementation on the fecal microbiota of healthy adults. The authors, who analyzed seven randomized controlled trials to reach their conclusion, found that probiotics do not change fecal microbiota composition.
Blastocystis —a possible pathobiont— linked with greater bacterial diversity
3 Jun 2016by Sudarshan Shetty
The human gut microbiome consists of Bacteria, Archaea, viruses (mainly bacteriophages) and micro-eukaryotes (Human Microbiome Project Consortium). A wealth of data is available on bacterial communities and the focus is only occasionally directed towards the micro-eukaryotic members.
A recent comment published in Nature points out that taking into account microbiota-host interactions in clinical protocols for patients undergoing allo-HSCT may constitute a new approach for clinical intervention.
A recent study, led by Dr. Claire Steves, a clinical research fellow from the Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, identified several associations between host frailty and gut microbiota diversity, which might offer potential targets for intervention to strengthen healthy ageing.
Severe immunodeficiency in HIV infection is linked to changes in the gut virome and bacterial microbiome
13 May 2016by Kristina Campbell
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a significant global health threat, with an estimated 35 million HIV-positive adults worldwide.
The role of ‘our second genome’ in xenobiotic metabolism and therapeutic outcomes
11 May 2016by Andreu Prados
A recent review, led by Prof. Peter Turnbaugh from the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at University of California San Francisco (USA), discusses several mechanisms that link the gut microbiota with xenobiotic metabolism, and explores how this knowledge can be applied to improve the treatment of human disease.
A recent study has found that the anti-atherosclerosis effects of resveratrol (RSV) - a plant-based natural phenolic compound used to fight pathogens such as fungi and bacteria - are related to changes in the gut microbiota of mice.
