Transmission of the human microbiome : from infants to infections
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- The human body is colonized by trillions of microorganisms, the vast majority of which reside in the large intestine. This collection of bacteria, fungi, archaea and viruses is collectively called the gut microbiome. Large enough to be considered its own organ, the gut microbiome has vast impacts on every day human function, including digestion, the immune system, even the brain and a host's mood. New research also suggests the gut microbiome can modulate an individual's response to anti-cancer immunotherapy. The anaerobic, nutrient rich environment of the mammalian intestine provides bacterial populations with everything needed to grow, proliferate and differentiate. While certain bacterial species that inhabit the gut microbiome may live within the food we eat, many species are uniquely adapted to the human intestine and do not live in other environments. The following conclusions logically follow: 1) Bacteria uniquely adapted to the human gut must be transmitted between individuals, 2) The human body has the ability to acquire new microbes from the environment and other individuals. Proper functioning of the gut microbiome is required for health, therefore this process is beneficial to the human body. 3) The gut microbiome is stable over time in most individuals, therefore selection takes place for which microbes engraft in the gut long-term. However, these conclusions raise many more questions about the acquisition and transmission of gut microbes, including: At what age do humans begin to acquire and develop a microbiome, and at what age does acquisition of new microbes slow down or stop? Where do the new microbes colonizing an infant come from? How are healthy, commensal microbes selected from pathogens? Does transmission between individuals also spread fungi, archaea and phages? Does transmission occur at the community level, or is it a single species at a time? Throughout my graduate work in Dr. Ami Bhatt's laboratory at Stanford University, I have attempted to shed light on a small portion of the microbiome transmission problem. Using advanced metagenomic sequencing techniques, I have tracked bacteria and phages down to the strain level to understand if and how they pass between individuals. This research has been limited to transmission between humans in non-experimental settings - no specific interventions or animal models were used. In these observational studies, I desired to capture acquisition and transmission events as they happened naturally by using the precise archaeological record stored in an individual's microbiome. I hope that my modest contributions will advance the field, improve understanding of how humans acquire and transmit members of their gut microbiota and provide stepping stones for future research to expand upon my findings.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic resource; remote; computer; online resource |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Place | California |
| Place | [Stanford, California] |
| Publisher | [Stanford University] |
| Copyright date | 2021; ©2021 |
| Publication date | 2021; 2021 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Siranosian, Benjamin |
|---|---|
| Degree supervisor | Bhatt, Ami (Ami Bharat) |
| Thesis advisor | Bhatt, Ami (Ami Bharat) |
| Thesis advisor | Good, Benjamin |
| Thesis advisor | Sidow, Arend |
| Thesis advisor | Tang, Hua |
| Degree committee member | Good, Benjamin |
| Degree committee member | Sidow, Arend |
| Degree committee member | Tang, Hua |
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Genetics |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|---|
| Genre | Text |
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Benjamin Aram Siranosian. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Genetics. |
| Thesis | Thesis Ph.D. Stanford University 2021. |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/pf485yx4000 |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2021 by Benjamin Siranosian
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (CC BY).
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