Researchers at Oregon State University have made an important advance in understanding the roles that gut bacteria play in human health.
Researchers at Oregon State University have made an important advance in understanding the roles that gut bacteria play in human health.
Learning the mechanisms by which gut microbes affect the health of their hosts opens the door to the development of better, more personalized diagnostic methods and therapies.
Most studies so far have focused on how the composition of the microbiome - i.e., which organisms are present, and in what amounts - associates with health in general or various diseases.
The OSU research led by Ph.D. student Courtney Armour goes a step further by looking not just at which organisms are in the microbiome, but also what functions they might be performing. Findings were published in mSystems.
Read more at Oregon State University
Image: NIAID via Wikimedia Commons
