How Bacterial Communities Expand Functional Repertoires

ABSTRACT

Complex microbial communities, such as biofilms in the oral cavity and luminal and mucosal communities in the gastrointestinal tract, play prominent roles in human health and disease. Microbial communities in vivo include many different bacterial species that are in dynamic, intimate association with each other and with the human host. In humans, the intestinal micro biota is composed of well over 500 species, and the concept of humans as super-organisms is highlighted by estimates that the human micro biome contains roughly 100 times as many genes as does the human genome. Increasingly, live microorganisms— Probiotics—are being administered in order to promote human health. But much remains to be understood about the nature of the molecular interactions between newly arrived and resident microbial community members. Can microbial communities be effectively manipulated by administering defined dosages of a specific Probiotics? How do Probiotics affect the functional properties of indigenous microbial communities?

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