The Microbiome Project News and Research

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The human microbiome refers to the entire community of microorganisms that live on or in the human body. More specifically, it refers to all of the genes in these microbes, which include bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses.

Disordered airway microbiome at birth may be linked to severe neonatal lung disease

In contrast to the general belief that the airways of an infant are sterile until after birth, University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers and colleagues have found that the infant airway is already colonized with bacteria or bacterial DNA when a baby is born -- and this is true for infants born as early as 24 weeks gestation.

5 Aug 2016

Study demonstrates significant reduction in severity of exercise-induced asthma following B-GOS consumption

Clasado Biosciences Limited, the producers and suppliers of Bimuno(R) (B-GOS), a unique patented trans-galactooligosaccharide complex, today announces the publication of results for the latest clinical study using B-GOS.

5 Aug 2016

Mayo researchers discover important differences in breast tissue microbiome of women with cancer

A team of Mayo Clinic researchers has identified evidence of bacteria in sterilely-obtained breast tissue and found differences between women with and without breast cancer.

3 Aug 2016

Study finds how differences in vegetation in urban areas influence airborne microbial communities

New research finds that airborne bacterial communities differ from one urban park to the next but those of parking lots are alike -- and differ from those of parks in subtle but potentially important ways.

2 Aug 2016

Maternal HIV infection could alter gut microbiome of HIV-exposed, uninfected infants

A study led by researchers at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles suggests that maternal HIV infection influences the microbiome of their HIV-uninfected infants.

28 Jul 2016

Study finds link between eczema and S. aureus bacteria

A new study published in the British Journal of Dermatology has shown that, on average, 70% of eczema patients are colonised with Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (S. aureus, including MRSA) on their skin lesions.

26 Jul 2016

Retained metabolites may contribute to impaired cognitive function in kidney failure patients

Retention of certain metabolites in the blood may contribute to cognitive impairment in patients with kidney failure, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

22 Jul 2016

Long-term antibiotic treatment slows progression of Alzheimer's disease through changes in gut bacteria

Long-term treatment with broad spectrum antibiotics decreased levels of amyloid plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, and activated inflammatory microglial cells in the brains of mice in a new study by neuroscientists from the University of Chicago.

21 Jul 2016

Antibiotic usage, infections may contribute to manic episodes in people with mental disorders

In research using patient medical records, investigators from Johns Hopkins and Sheppard Pratt Health System report that people with serious mental disorders who were hospitalized for mania were more likely to be on antibiotics to treat active infections than a group of people without a mental disorder.

20 Jul 2016

Scientists detect gut bacteria in deepest reaches of failing lungs

No one knows for sure how they got there. But the discovery that bacteria that normally live in the gut can be detected in the lungs of critically ill people and animals could mean a lot for intensive care patients.

19 Jul 2016

Review highlights beneficial health effects of cranberries

While decades of cranberry research has found that regular consumption of cranberry products promotes urinary tract health, leading scientists studying the bioactive components of fruits and other foods reported that cranberries possess whole body health benefits.

19 Jul 2016

New study shows patient’s self-rated health can be better predictor of illness and death

Patients' self-rated health is a better long-term predictor of illness and death than standard blood tests, blood pressure measurements or other symptomatic evidence a doctor might gather, according to a new study from Rice University.

15 Jul 2016

Fecal transplants may help treat home and hospital-acquired scourge

Fecal transplants are increasingly being used as the treatment of last resort for certain infections in the human gut and have had remarkable success treating the nursing home and hospital-acquired scourge, Clostridium difficile colitis, an infectious diarrhea that often follows antibiotic treatment.

13 Jul 2016

MS patients have different patterns of gut microorganisms than healthy counterparts

A connection between the bacteria living in the gut and immunological disorders such as multiple sclerosis have long been suspected, but for the first time, researchers have detected clear evidence of changes that tie the two together.

12 Jul 2016

Diversity of gut bacteria may affect brain health

The surprising and potentially wide-ranging effects that the levels and diversity of bacteria living in the gut have on overall human health, inflammation, and specifically brain health are the focus of a provocative interview with Dr. David Perlmutter in Alternative and Complementary Therapies, a journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

11 Jul 2016

Review examines role of gut microbes in development, progression of MS

An increasing number of clinical studies are pointing to a link between the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis (MS) and the composition of microbes in the human gut, sparking new research on the gut microbiome as a potential target for MS treatment and prevention.

7 Jul 2016

New research highlights need to abandon modern hygiene hypothesis

The July issue of Perspectives in Public Health (published by the Royal Society of Public Health) takes an objective view of ongoing research showing that the hygiene hypothesis – the idea that allergies are the price we are paying for our “modern obsession with cleanliness” – is a misleading misnomer.

6 Jul 2016

New supplement could help reduce urge to consume high-calorie foods

Eating a type of powdered food supplement, based on a molecule produced by bacteria in the gut, reduces cravings for high-calorie foods such as chocolate, cake and pizza, a new study suggests.

1 Jul 2016

Allergy-causing immune cells play life-saving role in deadly C. difficile infection

Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified immune cells vital for protecting us from potentially fatal C. difficile infection. Surprisingly, those cells are often vilified for their role in causing asthma and allergies. But when it comes to C. difficile, they could be the difference in life and death.

29 Jun 2016

Scientists find link between makeup of individual's microbiome and head and neck cancer

In a sample study, researchers at Johns Hopkins say they have found an association between the makeup of an individual's microbiome and head and neck cancer, a finding that potentially advances the quest for faster and more accurate cancer diagnosis and therapy.

28 Jun 2016