What is the Microbiome?
The microbiome is the system of microorganisms that live in and on the body of an animal. The mammalian gastrointestinal tract hosts approximately 10^14 cells. This diversity in the gut microbiome is represented by some 3,000,000 genes versus the 30,000 genes held within the human genome. Beyond just prokaryotic bacteria, a complex community of archaea, ciliate and flagellate protozoa, anaerobic phycomycetes fungi, and bacteriophages all live in the gut, interacting with each other and with the host.
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Why Study the Microbiome?
Most of the research conducted on the microbiome is in its relationship to the host. The gut microbiome performs a large number of important roles for the host, such as immune system maturation, intestinal response to epithelial cell injury, and the production of xenobiotic molecules. It also produces enzymes that degrade or modify the chemical structure of the drugs; likewise, it also produces microbial metabolites that compete the molecules. As a result of this complicated interaction, many believe that the microbiome may be a critical focus of continued research regarding development of the next generation of therapeutic drugs. Not only is the microbiome known to affect the metabolism of drugs, it is also connected to a wide variety of diseases such as obesity, circulatory disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and autism . Such a diversity of clinical symptoms leads to the conclusion that many other diseases could be connected to, or cured by, fluctuations in the microbiome.
What is HIV? |
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is a retrovirus that attacks the body’s CD4+ cells, also known as T helper cells (Th). Th cells coordinate the body’s defense against disease. Over time, the HIV virus will destroy so many Th cells that the body can not properly defend against infection and diseases (“HIV/Aids”, 2019). The aggressiveness of HIV infection and its attack on the body’s immune system, as well as the prevalence of HIV infection, has led many to look for a cure to this horrific disease. Although, there are multiple drugs to treat HIV symptoms, the virus has never been cured.
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