Novel Options In Gastrointestinal Diganostics: DNA Detection Of Gut Microbiota

The population of the microbiota of the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract is widely diverse and complex with a high population density. All major groups of organisms are represented. While predominately bacteria, a variety of protozoa are also present. In the colon there are over 10 bacterial cells per gram and over 400 different species. These bacterial cells out-number host cells by at least a factor of 10. This microbial population has important influences on host physiological, nutritional and immunological processes. In fact, this biomass should more rightly be considered a rapidly adapting, renewable organ with considerable metabolic activity and significant influence on human health. Consequently there is renewed and growing interest in identifying the types and activities of these gut microbes.