Scientist study bacterial communities inside us to better understand health and disease
Tuesday, June 3, 2008 - 10:56
in Health & Medicine
The number of bacteria living within the body of the average healthy adult human are estimated to outnumber human cells 10 to 1. Changes in these microbial communities may be responsible for digestive disorders, skin diseases, gum disease and even obesity. Despite their vital imporance in human health and disease, these communities residing within us remain largely unstudied and a concerted research effort needs to be made to better understand them, say researchers today at the 108th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Boston.