Journal des troubles alimentaires et nutritionnels

What's bugging you and your diet?

Bryn L Yeomans and Nicholas T Bello

What’s Bugging you and your Diet?

Trillions of microorganisms live in and on our bodies. These are active communities of bacteria, viruses, archaea, and unicellular eukaryotes, collectively known as the microbiota. These organisms are involved in the development and regulation of host immunity, digestion and absorption, metabolism, behavior, and protection from pathogens. The microbiota inhabits all external surfaces of the body. These include the skin, and the urogenital, respiratory, and gastrointestinal tracts, with an estimated 70% of the microbiota residing in the colon . While the human gut microbiota is comprised of more than 50 bacterial phyla, the two that predominate are Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, with Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Actinobacteria, Fusobacteria, and Cyanobacteria having a lesser presence.