Our collaborator Dr. Zafar and Dr. Saier just published a review in the journal Gut Microbes. In this review, they studied gut bacteria from the species Bacteroides and their role on health and disease. The title is “Gut Bacteroides species in health and disease”. For your convenience, these are the links to PubMed and PMC.
Abstract
The functional diversity of the mammalian intestinal microbiome far exceeds that of the host organism, and microbial genes contribute substantially to the well-being of the host. However, beneficial gut organisms can also be pathogenic when present in the gut or other locations in the body. Among dominant beneficial bacteria are several species of Bacteroides, which metabolize polysaccharides and oligosaccharides, providing nutrition and vitamins to the host and other intestinal microbial residents. These topics and the specific organismal and molecular interactions that are known to be responsible for the beneficial and detrimental effects of Bacteroides species in humans comprise the focus of this review. The complexity of these interactions will be revealed.
