Influence of bacteria. The negative role of bacteria. Bacteria on the skin, in the mouth and in the nasopharynx

Rice. 1. The human body is 90% microbial cells. It contains from 500 to 1000 different types of bacteria, or trillions of these amazing tenants, which is up to 4 kg of total weight.

Rice. 2. Bacteria inhabiting oral cavity: Streptococcus mutants ( green color). Bakteroides gingivalis, causes periodontitis ( purple colour). Candida albicus (yellow). Causes candidiasis of the skin and internal organs.

Rice. 7. Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Bacteria have been causing disease in humans and animals for thousands of years. tuberculosis bacillus extremely stable in the environment. In 95% of cases, it is transmitted by airborne droplets. Most often affects the lungs.

Rice. 8. The causative agent of diphtheria is Corynebacterium or Leffler's bacillus. More often it develops in the epithelium of the mucous layer of the tonsils, less often in the larynx. Swelling of the larynx and enlarged lymph nodes can lead to asphyxia. The pathogen toxin is fixed on the membranes of the cells of the heart muscle, kidneys, adrenal glands and nerve ganglia and destroys them.

Rice. 9. Pathogens staph infection. Pathogenic staphylococci cause extensive lesions of the skin and its appendages, lesions of many internal organs, food poisoning, enteritis and colitis, sepsis and toxic shock.

Rice. 10. Meningococci - pathogens meningococcal infection. Up to 80% of patients are children. The infection is transmitted by airborne droplets from sick and healthy carriers of the bacteria.

Rice. 11. Whooping cough bordetella.

Rice. 12. The causative agents of scarlet fever are streptococci pyogenes.

Harmful bacteria of water microflora

Rice. 13. Shigella. The pathogens cause bacillary dysentery. Shigella destroy the epithelium of the colon mucosa, causing severe ulcerative colitis. Their toxins affect the myocardium, nervous and vascular systems.

Rice. fourteen. . Vibrios do not destroy the cells of the mucous layer small intestine, but is located on their surface. The toxin cholerogen is released, the action of which leads to a violation of water-salt metabolism, in connection with which the body loses up to 30 liters of fluid per day.

Rice. 15. Salmonella - causative agents of typhoid and paratyphoid. The epithelium and lymphoid elements of the small intestine are affected. With the blood flow they enter Bone marrow, spleen and gallbladder from which pathogens enter the small intestine again. As a result of immune inflammation, the wall of the small intestine ruptures and peritonitis occurs.

Rice. 16. Causative agents of tularemia (coccobacteria blue color). Affects the respiratory and intestines. They have the peculiarity of penetrating into the human body through integral skin and mucous membranes of the eyes, nasopharynx, larynx and intestines. A feature of the disease is the defeat of the lymph nodes (primary bubo).

Rice. 17. Leptospira. Affect the human capillary network, often the liver, kidneys and muscles. The disease is called infectious jaundice.

Harmful bacteria of soil microflora

Rice. 18. Pathogen anthrax. For decades, it remains in the soil in a spore-like state. especially dangerous disease. Its second name is malignant carbuncle. The prognosis of the disease is unfavorable.

Rice. 19. The causative agent of botulism releases the strongest toxin. 1 mcg of this poison kills a person. Botulinum toxin affects the nervous system, oculomotor nerves, up to paralysis and cranial nerves. Mortality from botulism reaches 60%.

Rice. 20. The causative agents of gas gangrene multiply very quickly in soft tissues body without access to air, causing severe damage. In a spore-like state, it remains in the external environment for a long time.

Rice. 21. Putrefactive bacteria.

Rice. 22. Defeat putrefactive bacteria food.

Harmful bacteria infecting wood

Rice. 23. The photo shows how the house fungus destroyed the wooden floor beams.

Rice. 24. Spoiled appearance logs (blue) affected by a wood-staining fungus.

Rice. 25. House mushroom Merulius Lacrimans. a - cotton-like mycelium; b - young fruiting body; c - old fruiting body; d - old mycelium, cords and rotten wood.

Harmful bacteria in food

Rice. 26. Bread affected by mold.

Rice. 27. Cheese affected by mold and putrefactive bacteria.

Rice. 28. " wild yeast» Pichia pastoris. Photo taken at 600x magnification. A vicious pest of beer. Found ubiquitously in nature.

Harmful bacteria that break down dietary fats

Rice. 29. Caviar oil affected by fat-splitting bacteria.

Harmful bacteria affecting eggs and egg products

Rice. 30. Spoiled eggs.

Harmful bacteria in canned food

Rice. 31. Canned meat affected by acetic acid bacteria, as a result of which the contents of the canned food become sour.

Rice. 32. Bloated canned food may contain botulinum rods and perfringens rods. It inflates the jar with carbon dioxide, which is released by bacteria during reproduction.

Harmful bacteria in grain products and bread

Rice. 33. In the photo, the ergot is purple. Low doses of ergot cause severe pain, mental disturbance and aggressive behavior. High doses of ergot cause painful death. Its action is associated with muscle contraction under the influence of alkaloids of the fungus.

Rice. 34. Mushroom fungus.

Rice. 35. Spores of green, white and capitate mold can get from the air on already baked bread and infect it.

Harmful bacteria that affects fruits, vegetables and berries

Rice. 36. Defeat of berries by mold fungi.

Rice. 37. Skin lesions in yersiniosis.

Harmful bacteria enter the human body with food, through air, wounds and mucous membranes. The severity of diseases caused by pathogenic microbes depends on the poisons they produce and the toxins that arise from them. mass death. Over the millennia, they have acquired many devices that allow them to penetrate and stay in the tissues of a living organism and resist immunity.

Explore bad influence microorganisms on the body and develop preventive actions- that's the task of man!

Page 1

The influence of bacteria and the resulting fungi on the interfacial interaction between aqueous and organic solutions is well known. AT normal conditions bacterial and fungal populations grow very rapidly, contributing to phase suspensions. The most real protection against them is the use of bactericidal preparations, which, however, should not have harmful effects on the saturation of the extra agent, the stability of chelates, phase separation and other parameters. Security issues should be considered environment and outside the enterprise. Appropriate work must be done to address these issues.

Severe corrosion due to the influence of sulfate reducing bacteria is found in underground pipelines.

Severe corrosion due to the influence of sulfate-reducing bacteria is found in oil sumps, underground pipelines, water-cooled rolling mills, pipelines from deep reservoirs. well water in one area of ​​America, due to exposure to sulfate-reducing bacteria, caused the destruction of galvanized two-inch water pipes after 2 years, while urban, pre-chlorinated water sumps corroded significantly less.

Shortly before the discovery by Pasteur harmful influence bacteria from puerperal fever in France, one in four mothers died.

The formation of HCN is possible under the influence of bacteria in the fermentation juice.

The formation of HCN is possible under the influence of bacteria in tannic juices.

Biotransformation under the influence of bacteria is essential.

As N. L. Bazyakina points out, under the influence of bacteria, almost all organic substances decompose under appropriate conditions, even such poisonous substances as, for example, phenol.

Methane can be formed from fiber under the influence of bacteria. Thus, it is found in the intestines of animals and humans, as well as at the bottom of swamps. Methane has neither color nor odor. When burning, its flame is almost colorless.

When sour milk milk sugar under the influence of bacteria turns into lactic acid. Therefore, it will not be possible to isolate milk sugar from the sour whey that remains at home after the preparation of cottage cheese. Evaporating it, we get only a syrupy concentrated solution of lactic acid.

However, rancidity of fats under the influence of bacteria and molds is also possible. Fats containing saturated fats are also exposed to this decomposition. fatty acid. Molds act on saturated carboxylic acids, splitting them according to the principle of (3-oxidation, and here, apparently, 3-hydroxy acids are not formed as intermediate products, as in the classical (3-oxidation (p.

When milk is soured, milk sugar is converted into lactic acid by bacteria. Therefore, it will not be possible to isolate milk sugar from the sour whey that remains at home after the preparation of cottage cheese. Evaporating it, we get only a syrupy concentrated solution of lactic acid.

Bacteria are a group of the simplest microorganisms belonging to the kingdom of prokaryotes (they do not have a nucleus). In biology, there are about 10.5 thousand species of bacteria. The main differences between them are the form, structure and way of life. Basic forms:

• rod-shaped (bacilli, clostridia, pseudomonads);
• spherical (cocci);
• spiral (spirilla, vibrios).

Distribution and role in nature

It is generally accepted that microorganisms were the first inhabitants on planet Earth. By the nature of their life activity, representatives of the kingdom of prokaryotes are distributed everywhere (in soil, air, water, living organisms), they are resistant to high and low temperatures. The only places where there are no living prokaryotes are volcano craters and areas close to the epicenter of an atomic bomb explosion.

In ecology, bacteria of the prokaryote kingdom serve to fix nitrogen and mineralize organic residues in the soil. More about these features:

• Nitrogen fixation is vital important process for the environment in general. After all, plants without nitrogen (N 2) will not survive. But in pure form it is not absorbed, but only in compounds with ammonia (NHO 3) - bacteria contribute to this binding.
• Mineralization (decay) is the process of decomposition of organic remains to CO2 (carbon dioxide), H 2 O (water) and mineral salts. For this process to take place, enough oxygen, since, in fact, decomposition can be equated with combustion. Organic substances, once in the soil, are oxidized due to the functions of bacteria and fungi.

In nature, there is another biological process - denitrification. This is the reduction of nitrates to nitrogen molecules while simultaneously oxidizing to CO 2 and H 2 O organic components. main function denitrifying process is the release of NO 3 .

For getting good harvest farmers always try to fertilize the soil before new sowing. This is often done with a mixture of manure and hay. Some time after the fertilizer is applied, it rots and loosens the soil - this is how nutrients get into it. This is the result of the work of bacterial cells, because the process of decay is also their function.

Without special device, with the naked eye, microorganisms just can not be seen in the soil, but there are millions of them. For example, on one hectare of the field in the upper soil layer there are up to 450 kg of microorganisms.

Performing their main functions, bacteria provide soil fertility and excretion carbon dioxide essential for plant photosynthesis.

Bacteria and man

Human life, like plants, is impossible without bacteria, because invisible microorganisms settle in human body with the first breath of air after birth. Scientists have proven that in the body of an adult there are up to 10,000 various kinds bacteria, and in terms of weight it reaches 3 kg.

The main location of prokaryotes is in the intestines, there are fewer of them in the genitourinary tract and on the skin. 98% of "our" bacteria have beneficial functions, and 2% are harmful. Strong human immunity provides a balance between them. But it is worth weakening the immune system, as harmful bacterial cells begin to multiply intensively, as a result of which the disease manifests itself.

Beneficial prokaryotes in the body

Human immunity directly depends on the bacteria inhabiting the intestines. The role of beneficial bacteria is great, because they break down undigested residues food, support water-salt metabolism, help in the production of immunoglobulin A, fight pathogenic bacteria and fungi.

The main function of bacteria is to ensure a balanced intestinal microflora, due to which the normal functioning of human immunity is carried out. Thanks to modern achievements biology, such useful prokaryotes as bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, enterococci, E. coli and bacteroids became known. They should populate the intestinal environment by 99%, and the remaining 1% are bacteria of pathogenic flora (staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and others).

• Bifidobacteria produce acetate and lactic acid. As a result, they acidify their habitat, thereby suppressing the reproduction of pathogenic prokaryotes that create the processes of decay and fermentation. Help assimilation the right amount vitamin D, calcium and iron, have an antioxidant effect. Bifidobacteria are also very important for newborns - they reduce the risk of food allergies.
• E. coli produces colicin, a substance that inhibits the reproduction of harmful microbes. Through the functions coli there is a synthesis of vitamins K, group B, folic and nicotinic acid.
• Enterobacteria are necessary to restore the intestinal microflora after a course of antibiotics.
• The functions of lactobacilli are aimed at the formation of an antimicrobial substance. Thus, the growth of opportunistic and putrefactive prokaryotes is reduced.

harmful bacteria

Harmful microbes enter the body through air, food, water and contact. If the immune system is weakened, then they cause various diseases. The most common harmful prokaryotes include:

• Streptococcus groups A, B - inhabit the oral cavity, skin, nasopharynx, genitals, colon. Reduce the development of beneficial bacteria, respectively, and immunity. Become main reason infectious diseases.
• Pneumococci - are the cause of bronchitis, pneumonia, sinusitis and otitis media, meningitis.
• Gingivalis microbes - mainly found in the oral cavity, cause periodontitis.
• Staphylococcus - spreads throughout the human body, with a decrease in immunity and the influence of other factors, it manifests itself in diseases of the skin, bones, joints, brain, large intestine and internal organs.

Microorganisms in the large intestine

The microflora of the large intestine changes depending on the food a person consumes, so microbes can crowd out each other. Putrefactive bacteria can be fought with lactic acid microorganisms.

A person lives with bacteria from birth - the relationship between micro- and macroorganism is very strong. Therefore, for good health, it is necessary to clearly strike a balance between useful and harmful bacteria. This is easy to do, adhering to personal hygiene and proper nutrition.

A person throughout his life is in constant contact with microorganisms: viruses, bacteria (flora), fungi, protozoa and helminths (fauna). healthy image life includes, as an element, maintaining the balance of microflora in the body.

There are 4 main habitats of microorganisms, which are called BIOTOP:

1. Gastrointestinal tract (*)
2. Airways
3. Urogenital system

The internal environment of the body.

* (60% microbiota: 17 families, 45 genera, more than 500 species, 100,000,000,000 units per 1 kg, in total the current amount is from one and a half to three kilograms.)

What are these microorganisms? As a rule, the following groups are distinguished:

• viruses
• bacteria
• mushrooms
• protozoa
• helminths

Intestinal microflora

Microflora is a community of microorganisms, a supraorganismal system (or organ) that is in a state of equilibrium with the human body. Violation of this balance can underlie many diseases.

Thus, the microbiome can be considered as one of the systems of the human body.

How does the microbiome interact with other human organs and systems?

The state of the microbiome depends on nutrition: a change in nutrition necessarily causes a change in the microbiome.

How does the microbiome develop? Until recently, it was believed that the fetus is sterile, the placenta does not allow bacteria to enter the child's body, and the microflora inhabits the gastrointestinal tract and the child's body during childbirth and in the first hours of life. It has now been precisely determined that the microbiome is present in the placenta, the fetus, and breast milk not to mention the microbiome of the environment (dwelling). You can also talk about the microbiome of the maternity ward, with which the newborn comes into contact in the first minutes of life.

The microbiome of the placenta determines the course of pregnancy. The fetal microbiome is affected by stress, antibiotic use during pregnancy, infections, and maternal nutrition. The microbiome of breast milk is the influence of feeding (breastfeeding or artificial), infection of the nursing mother.

so-called. The home microbiome is the real world that the baby encounters and interacts with after birth.

Thus, the human microbiome is formed during the period prenatal development. Followed by postpartum period- on breast or artificial feeding.

And finally, the period after the introduction of complementary foods. During this period, the influx of bifidobacteria with food decreases, there is an increase in the number of other types of bacteria, mainly putrefactive. As a result, children begin to get sick more often.

Until the age of three, the composition of the child's microbiome is unstable - changeable and unstable, highly susceptible to external factors especially the quality of the food.

It is important to know how bacteria affect the human body. The microbiome is involved in almost all human life processes:

• affects the human genome and the transfer of genetic information
• affects the action of enzymes and bioregulators
• affects all links of metabolism
• stimulates the immune system
• participates in the process of digestion, digesting excess nutrients and breaks down indigestible nutrients (non-starchy polysaccharides)
• participates in the detoxification of the body, binding and removing toxic substances, heavy metals etc.
• provides anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic protection
• shows antagonism, simply - wages war with pathogenic microorganisms
• produces antibiotics, hormones and other biologically active substances
• synthesizes a number of useful nutrients for the human body: short-chain fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, etc.

CONCLUSION: The health of the microbiota must be taken care of just like your own health!

Let us consider only some aspects of the participation of bacteria in the life of the body, in particular, in digestion. Here their role is difficult to overestimate:

• bacteria produce enzymes that break down proteins, fats, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, etc. Bacteria utilize from 20 to 70 g of carbohydrates daily
• bacteria are able to break down non-starchy polysaccharides and oligosaccharides in food ( alimentary fiber).

60% of faecal protein is of microbial origin.

Starchy carbohydrates are digested by saccharolytic bacteria (fermentation processes): bifidobacteria (25-30%), lactobacilli, streptococci, etc. Digestion of carbohydrates by saccharolytic bacteria leads to the formation of fatty acids, which is very important for the whole process.

Proteins and amino acids are digested by proteolytic bacteria (putrefactive processes). As a result, important short-chain fatty acids are formed.

Bile acids and cholesterol digest bacteroids, lactobacilli, clostridia.

Can the microbiome of the gastrointestinal tract be affected? To answer this question, consider what determines his condition and health:

• hereditary factors - determine the composition of organisms
• human nutrition, mode and amount of food intake - overeating or starvation - regulates the number of microorganisms
• the rate of digestion (transit) of food in small intestine- affects the number of microbiota: excessive bacterial growth
• the amount of prebiotics in the diet - the main food for microorganisms
• state of digestive function - nutrition of the microbiome
• condition immune function- microbiome control
• the effects of antibiotics and antiseptics that kill bacteria and disrupt community health
• viral diseases that intestinal epithelium and digestion
• infectious diseases: entry into the gastrointestinal tract pathogenic microorganisms- violation of microbial balance - dysbacteriosis.

How can you help the microbiome?

Traditionally, we distinguish three areas:

1. Correction of the diet, adding to food natural substances, oppressive pathogenic flora. Nature's Sunshinne produces several products in this direction: HP Garlic (High Potency Garlic), Caprylic Acid Combination (Complex with Caprylic Acid), Colloidal Silver (Colloidal Silver), Paw d'Arco (According to D'Arco), Morinda (Morinda), Olive Leaf Extract (Olive Leaf Extract), H-p Fighter (HP Fighter).
2. Introduction to the diet of probiotics - pure cultures of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli: Bifidophilus Flora Force, 1 capsule of which contains 2.5 x 109 lactobacilli (Lactobacillus acidophilus) and 1x109 bifidobacteria (Bifidobacterium longum). Child form - Bifidophilus Chewable (Bifidosaurus).
3. Eating foods that create an environment for the development of beneficial microflora. First of all, it is Loclo (Loklo).

Let's consider in more detail.

- motionless rods that do not form spores. They live in the lumen of the intestine, in the lumen of the intestinal crypts and in the parietal mucus, found in the lumen of the vagina in women. Here are some facts about bifidobacteria:

• Make up the bulk of the number intestinal bacteria: 90-98%, especially in the large intestine. In children, the number of bifidobacteria is 10!9 - 10!10, in adults it decreases by an order of magnitude.
• One of the few microorganisms that does not have a pathogenic effect.
• The growth of bifidobacteria is specifically stimulated by oligosaccharides.

Action of bifidobacteria:

• protect the body from the penetration of toxins
• produce lysozyme, resulting in strong antagonism against pathogenic bacteria
• stimulate immune activity - humoral and cellular immunity
• digest sucrose and lactose. In adults, they are resistant to lactose deficiency.
• synthesize amino acids, proteins, vitamin K and B vitamins, wide range organic acids and polyhydric alcohols.

- non-motile cocci, rods and bacilli resistant to oxygen (anaerobic). They produce lactic acid, so they are widely used to obtain fermented milk products. They live in the lumen and parietal mucus of the stomach, small and large intestine. The main flora in the lumen of a woman's vagina.

Although the interaction between our brain and gut has been studied for many years, it is much more complex than previously thought. It turns out that our minds can be controlled to some extent by gut bacteria.

The gut protects us from pathogens, but at the same time stimulates the survival and growth of healthy bacteria in it.

The vast majority of these single-celled microorganisms live in the large intestine, where at least 1 trillion of them live in 1 gram of their contents.

Estimating the number of bacteria in our intestines is a difficult task: today, the most approximate assumption is that with each act of defecation, about 40 trillion bacteria, which are the main component of stool, leave our body.

To imagine how big this figure is, we must take into account that our body consists of about 30 trillion cells. So, in a very real sense, we are more bacteria than humans.

Most of our intestinal microorganisms belong to 30-40 species, but there can be up to 1000 different species in the intestine. Together they are called the microbiome.

Of course bacteria benefit from heat and nutrients in our intestines, but this is not a one-way relationship - it also has a certain effect on our body.

Some of them are good for us by breaking down dietary fiber into short-chain fatty acids, which are then absorbed in the intestines and used in the body. They metabolize a number of chemical compounds and play important role in the synthesis of B vitamins and vitamin K.

On the other hand, a recent study from 2013 concluded that dysregulation of gut bacteria may be an important factor in the development of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

The role of the microbiome in maintaining health and developing diseases is only beginning to reveal its secrets. The last and perhaps the most significant discovery is the ability of intestinal bacteria to influence the activity of the brain and our behavior.

Why are the gut and brain connected?

Connections between the brain and the gut are mediated through hormonal, immunological, and nervous mechanisms, through the central and enteric nervous system, which regulate bowel function. Collectively, they are called the “gut-brain axis”.

Although the connections between the gut and the brain may seem unexpected at first glance, we all feel their existence. The relationship between stress, anxiety, and frequent bowel movements is no secret to any of us.

These "dialogues" between the brain and the gut have been studied by scientists for some time. However, recently before the researchers dawned new level this partnership – they are now looking at the impact of our microbiome on the gut-brain axis. In other words, the scientists asked the question: do the bacteria in our gut affect our psychology and behavior?

Researchers are just beginning to unravel the mysteries of the brain-gut-microbiome axis.

Stress and the gut

In humans, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system is the primary responder to stress of any kind. It is one of the main components of the limbic system and is actively involved in emotions and memory.

Stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and results in the release of cortisol, the “stress hormone,” which has various effects on many organs, including the brain and intestines.

Thus, the brain's response to stress has a direct effect on intestinal cells, including epithelial and immune cells, enteric neurons, Cajal interstitial cells (cells that control intestinal motility) and enterochromaffin cells (cells that synthesize serotonin).

On the other hand, all these cells are also under the influence of our army of bacteria. Although the mechanisms by which the microbiome regulates brain activity are less well known, a growing number scientific evidence that there is a two-way dialogue between them.

What changes in brain function are associated with the microbiome?

The first suspicions that microbes can control our mental activity appeared over 20 years ago. In patients with hepatic encephalopathy (impaired brain function in liver failure) improved significantly after taking oral antibiotics.

More recent research in 2013 provided additional evidence that the microbiome also influences anxiety and depressive behavior.

Another important observation in 2014 linked dysbiosis (imbalance of microorganisms) to autism. Children with autism often have an abnormal and less diverse composition of bacteria in their gut. One study concluded: “We suspect that gut microbes may alter levels of metabolites associated with neurotransmitters that affect gut-brain communication and/or alter brain function. The correlation between gut bacteria and neurotransmitter-associated metabolites is a stepping stone to further study and a better understanding of the cross-talk between gut bacteria and autism.”

Researchers in 2004 noticed that specially bred mice lacking gut bacteria had an increased response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system to stress. Further experiments using the same mice demonstrated that the absence of gut bacteria also affects memory function.

Sterile mice have been a useful tool for studying the microbiome-gut-brain axis. They helped prove that there was some kind of relationship, but these results could not be extrapolated to humans, as in vivo There is no sterile person.

Other studies have used different approaches: some of them studied the effect of neuroactive substances produced by the intestinal microflora; others have studied differences in the composition of the gut microflora in people with psychiatric or neurological illnesses.

These studies were generally not conclusive. Even with the discovery of changes in the intestinal microflora, the age-old chicken-and-egg problem continued: was the psychiatric illness caused by a change in the intestinal microflora, or, conversely, did the intestinal microflora change due to a violation of the patient's psychiatric state? Or is there a two-way interaction?

How can gut microflora affect the brain?

Stress is known to increase the permeability of the intestinal mucosa; this provides the bacteria with easier access to the cells of the enteric immune and nervous system. This may be one of the ways that micro-organisms affect us. However, another, more direct route has been discovered.

One study using foodborne pathogens provided evidence that bacteria in the gut can activate stress, directly affecting nervus vagus cranial nerve that innervates a large number of internal organs, including upper part digestive tract.

A more direct route could also involve direct contact of the microbiome with sensory neurons in the enteric nervous system. A 2013 study showed that these sensory neurons are less active in sterile mice. After these mice were given probiotics to restore the microbiome, the activity levels of these neurons returned to normal.

Probiotics affect psychology

If behavioral differences were found in sterile mice, the next question was whether the addition of gut bacteria could induce similar changes in the animals. A meta-analysis published in July 2016 in the Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility compared the results of studies examining the effects of probiotics on central nervous system function in humans and animals.

They analyzed 25 animal studies and 15 human studies, most of which used bacteria from the genera Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus for 2-4 weeks. The scientists concluded: "These probiotics have been shown to be effective in improving psychiatric behavioral disorders, including anxiety, depression, autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and memory abilities."

Another study, published in 2014 in PLOS One, found that age-related memory decline in rats could be reversed by increasing levels of Actinobacteria and Bacterioidetes in the gut with probiotics.

The Future of the Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis

Scientists who explore the mysteries of the microbiome-gut-brain axis still have a very long and winding road ahead of them. Without a doubt, many different substances are involved in this process.

Perhaps in the distant future there will be medicines, specifically affecting the microbiome in various psychiatric diseases; The microbiome can become an early warning system for the development of certain diseases and even a diagnostic tool.

On the this moment, all we can do is consider the impact that bacteria have on our daily state of mind. We should also be surprised and amazed that such smart people, as we think we are, are partly controlled by single-celled life forms.

We might do well to remember that bacteria existed for billions of years before humans appeared on Earth and will most likely outlive our species by billions of years.

We try to provide the most up-to-date and useful information for you and your health. The materials posted on this page are for informational purposes and are intended for educational purposes. Website visitors should not use them as medical advice. Determining the diagnosis and choosing a treatment method remains the exclusive prerogative of your doctor! We are not responsible for possible Negative consequences resulting from the use of information posted on the site site