The Microbiome Project News and Research

RSS

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.

High levels of dietary zinc increase susceptibility to Clostridium difficile infections

Too much dietary zinc increases susceptibility to infection by Clostridium difficile - "C. diff" - the most common cause of hospital-acquired infections.

26 Sep 2016

Bile acid transporter inhibitors can prevent NASH in mice, study shows

Drugs that interfere with bile acid recycling can prevent several aspects of NASH (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis) in mice fed a high-fat diet, scientists from Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta have shown.

21 Sep 2016

Rare pattern of gut microbes in newborns linked to higher risk of later allergies and asthma

The microbes living in a baby's gut during its first month of life may directly impact the developing immune system, leading to a higher risk of allergies and asthma later in childhood, according to a study by researchers at UC San Francisco and the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.

12 Sep 2016

Scientists use insect model to reveal therapeutic potential of C. difficile bacteriophages

University of Leicester scientists have previously identified the potential of using a bacteriophage cocktail to eradicate Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and in this research, using an insect model, they show that their prophylactic use can prevent infection forming in the first place.

12 Sep 2016

Novel controlled clinical trial finds Ayurvedic-based well-being program can alter blood-based metabolites

In a novel controlled clinical trial, participants in a six-day Ayurvedic-based well-being program that featured a vegetarian diet, meditation, yoga and massages experienced measurable decreases in a set of blood-based metabolites associated with inflammation, cardiovascular disease risk and cholesterol regulation.

9 Sep 2016

UC researchers offer more insights into how lack of gut bacteria influences fat absorption

A study led by University of Cincinnati lipid metabolism researchers lends additional insight into how bacteria in the gut, or lack thereof, influences intestinal mast cells (MMC) activation and perhaps fat absorption.

9 Sep 2016

Early life exposure to antibiotics found to increase allergy risk later in life

An analysis of almost 400,000 people has shown that exposure to antibiotics in early life is linked to an increased risk of developing allergies later in life.

8 Sep 2016

Fungal communities in chronic wounds can be linked to poor outcomes and slow healing

Researchers in Pennsylvania and Iowa have discovered that fungal communities found in chronic wounds can form mixed bacterial-fungal biofilms and can be associated with poor outcomes and longer healing times.

6 Sep 2016

Early life use of antibiotics linked to higher risk of developing allergies later in life

Research presented today (6 September, 2016) at this year's European Respiratory Society International Congress in London, UK shows that exposure to antibiotics early in life is related to increased risk of developing allergies later in life.

6 Sep 2016

MRSA correlated to eczema? An interview with Dr Bjorn Herpers

There is a lot of evidence that Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is involved in eczema. Eczema is now thought to be caused by a barrier dysfunction of the skin that allows external triggers to cause an overshoot of inflammation.

31 Aug 2016

EPFL scientists discover new path to combat pathogenic bacteria

Bacteria that cause tuberculosis, leprosy and other diseases, survive by switching between two different types of metabolism.

24 Aug 2016

Transient dose of rapamycin in middle age can increase life expectancy, improve measures of healthy aging

Geroscience researchers studying the biology of aging briefly treated middle-aged mice with the drug rapamycin to gauge the long-term effects of short-term therapy on health and longevity.

24 Aug 2016

U-M study casts doubt on possible link between obesity and imbalance of microbes

For people with weight problems, news headlines in recent years may have brought relief, as researchers studying the microscopic creatures inside our bodies reported possible links between obesity and an out-of-whack balance of microbes.

23 Aug 2016

Soluble corn fiber can help build and retain calcium in bone during adolescence and post-menopause

Supplementing with soluble corn fiber at two critical times in a woman's life - adolescence and post-menopause - can help build and retain calcium in bone, according to new research from Purdue University.

23 Aug 2016

Research provides insight into how harmless nasal bacteria help protect from diseases

Staphylococcus aureus is a common colonizer of the human body. Although, one quarter of the U.S. population live with the bacteria and never get sick, having S. aureus present in the nostrils is a risk for infections that range in severity from mild skin to life- threatening MRSA infections.

17 Aug 2016

TUM scientists isolate and archive cultured bacterial strains from mouse microbiome

Mouse models are extensively used in pharmaceutical and medical research, and it is known that the communities of microbes in their intestine can have a significant impact on the research output.

12 Aug 2016

Researchers chart microbial ecology of the mouth at all stages of gum disease progression

Gingivitis, a common and mild form of gum disease can progress to periodontitis, a more serious infection that damages the soft tissue of the gums and sometimes even destroys the bone supporting the teeth.

12 Aug 2016

Gut microbiome can influence common dietary compound linked to heart disease

In the last five years, some scientists have cautioned against eating eggs and meat because these foods generate a common dietary compound, trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), that research has suggested plays a role in heart disease.

11 Aug 2016

Hygiene hypothesis: a misleading misnomer? An interview with Professor Sally Bloomfield

Professor Strachan first proposed the hygiene hypothesis back in 1989. Reviewing the evidence, he suggested that one of the causes of the recent rapid rise in allergic diseases in children was lack of exposure to childhood infections