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. 2011 Aug;119(8):A340-6.
doi: 10.1289/ehp.119-a340.

A study in balance: how microbiomes are changing the shape of environmental health

Kellyn S Betts

A study in balance: how microbiomes are changing the shape of environmental health

Kellyn S Betts. Environ Health Perspect. 2011 Aug.
No abstract available

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Figures

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Collections of communities
Each person is host to some 100 trillion microbes, predominantly bacteria. These microbes live throughout the body in communities called microbiomes. The Human Microbiome Project (HMP) of the National Institutes of Health has set four goals to better understand the role of microbiomes in human health: 1) determine whether individuals share a core human microbiome, 2) understand whether changes in microbiomes correlate with changes in health, 3) develop technological and bioinformatic tools to support these goals, and 4) address the ethical, legal and social implications raised by human microbiome research. Source: Shutterstock.com
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It’s personal
Microbiome composition can vary widely among individuals and between different sites on a person’s body. In adulthood, the composition of any given microbiome is influenced not only by host genetics but also by the environment, diet, and other factors. The intestinal microbiome is thought to be a key player in health. Human intestinal microbiomes appear to have one of three distinct enterotypes, or bacterial profiles, characterized by prominence of a certain genus. Our microbiomes play key roles in immunity and digestion. New data suggest they also mediate metabolic processes such as methylation of potentially toxic metals. Interindividual differences in the composition of our microbiomes may be an important reason why people vary in their response to environmental stressors. Source: adapted from Costello et al. (2009)
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Lifetime achievement
Once established, microbiomes remain relatively constant throughout a person’s life until about age 65. Source: istockphoto.com
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Analysis of the core intestinal microbes of elderly subjects compared with younger adults showed differences between the two age groups in proportions of phyla, genera, and clusters of highly diverse Clostridium species. Better understanding of the unique characteristics of the elderly intestinal microbiome may lead to recommendations for dietary interventions to improve elders’ health.
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Microbiomes and resistance
Commensal bacteria can develop resistance to antibiotics, metals, and other environmental stressors. One way they do this is by exchanging fragments of DNA called plasmids (they can also transfer resistance genes packaged in viruses or acquire segments of DNA released from dead cells). Plasmids can carry different genes conferring resistance to multiple agents, which means bacteria can become resistant to stressors they haven’t even encountered. Source: adapted from Claesson et al. (2010)
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