Microbiota: Current Research and Emerging Trends

The human microbiota consists of a diverse collection of microbes including bacteria, archaea, viruses and eukaryotes. These organisms carry out a variety of functions that are vital to human health and well-being. One example is the prevention of bacterial infections by commensal bacterial in the gut. In recent years research has demonstrated a link between imbalances in the gut microbiota in early life and the development of obesity and allergic diseases in later life. The mechanisms of this and how diet, life-style factors and ageing influence the composition and activity of human microbiota are other areas of active research. The application of new technologies has revolutionised research initiatives providing new insights into the dynamics of these complex microbial communities and their role in health and disease. In this timely book expert international authors review selected hot-topics in this area to provide an up-to-date overview. Topics covered include: effect of ageing and diet; dysbiosis as an environmental factor; beneficial effects of probiotics on infants and children with dysbiosis; metaproteomics of the gut microbiota; gut microbiome and neuro development; the link between oral health and neurological disease; and the influence of the gut microbiome composition on GI tract cancer. The book is essential reading for everyone working with human microbiota, probiotics and prebiotics from the PhD student to the experienced scientist.