Jobs of Each Gut Bacterium
To fill up space, help with digestive processes, and ward off invaders.
What is the general role of helpful bacteria in the gut?
Explain how Salmonella spreads in the gut.
In an unhealthy gut, there is typically a lesser amount of bacteria, providing an environment for Salmonella to thrive and reproduce at shocking speeds.
Is a cell larger or smaller than a molecule?
Larger
What is a fecal transplant?
A fecal transplant is a type of medical procedure in which a healthy person's feces are ingested by an infected patient. GROSS!!!
Describe why there is a little bit of E. coli in everyone's gut, even though it is typically considered harmful to humans.
In small amounts, E. coli helps with digestive processes.
Name a bacterium that can cause food poisoning.
Possible answer: C. jejuni, C. difficile, Salmonella
Is it possible for a fungus to be growing on an object without it being visible to the naked eye?
Yes, fungi are microscopic.
Why are fecal transplants so effective?
Fecal transplants reintroduce healthy bacteria from a normal gut into a gut that has too few bacteria. These bacteria are healthy and they provide competition for food against the harmful bacteria. This often eradicates the harmful bacteria.
Can B. fragilis, a type of bacteria that is found in the gut, cause harmful infections?
Yes.
Name a type of bacteria that can, once gone rogue, use human cells as food.
B. fragilis
Are all single-celled organisms microscopic?
No, chicken eggs are single-celled, yet they are fully visible to the human eye.
Why are antibiotics destructive to the health of a gut microbiome?
Antibiotics eradicate all, both helpful, and harmful bacteria in the gut. This leaves a lot of space for harmful bacteria to thrive and reproduce in, which often leads to a harmful infection, such as one caused by C. difficile.
About how much space do Bacili take up in the human gut microbiome?
Bacili take up about 50% of the space in the gut.
Name a bacteria, using one of its nicknames, that irritates the gut lining when causing an infection.
C. dif (C. difficile)
About how many microorganisms live on and in the human body?
About 100,000,000,000,000(100 trillion) microorganisms.
The human body provides an environment (food and -----) for bacteria.
The human body provides an environment (food and space) for bacteria.
Name at least three animals that have much more E. coli in their intestinal tracts than us humans.
Possible answer: cattle, sheep, and goats.
Name THE type of bacteria that has a weakness to oxygen, but can develop a hard "exoskeleton" to protect itself.
C. difficile
About how many human RBCs can fit on the tip of a metal nail?
About 64,000 RBCs.
Exactly what is the minimum margin of success rate of a fecal transplant?
91%