Gut microbiome

Stool (stabilized)

Set M900571

The gut microbiome

Definition "gut microbiome":
The intestinal microbiome refers to the totality of all microbial (co-)inhabitants in the human intestine, especially in the large intestine. This primarily refers to physiological and protective bacterial species.


99% of the bacteria that colonise a person are part of the intestinal microbiome. According to estimates, this normally consists of ten to one hundred trillion bacteria from 500-1000 different species, whereby the number of all genes of the bacterial microbiome inhabitants exceeds the number of all human genes many times over (>2 million bacterial genes versus >20,000 human genes). The predominant bacterial genes are found in every human gut microbiome, but each person's microbiome is individually composed.
As there is a high degree of redundancy with regard to the functionality of the microbial genes, the bacterial components of different gut microbiomes can be very heterogeneous.
The human gut microbiome is unprecedentedly complex and diverse, with most bacteria coming from the four phyla Bacteroides, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, accounting for more than 98% of the microbiota.

The main tasks of the human gut microbiome include the metabolism of non-digestible food components, the provision of important energy resources (short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate), the synthesis of essential vitamins and substances (e.g. vitamin K, folate), the metabolism of various therapeutic agents, pollutants or pesticides, and the development and stimulation of the immune system. Furthermore, the human gut microbiome also has an influence on most body systems, including lipid metabolism, the nervous system, bone homeostasis and angiogenesis.

The composition and function of the gut microbiome are dynamic, and various factors such as diet, environmental influences, lifestyle and genetic predisposition of the host influence its structure.



Health begins in the gut: the central role of the gut microbiome

The bacterial species of the microbiome, the functions of the microbiome, the homoeostasis of the microbiome and the interactions with the host can significantly influence human health.

Many studies have shown correlations between a functional dysbiosis of the gut microbiome, in which the number of protective, beneficial bacterial species is reduced and the number of pathogenic, harmful species is increased, and various disease states (including obesity, insulin resistance, low-grade systemic inflammation, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis).

As one of the protective layers of the intestinal interface, which is the body's largest contact surface with the environment, the microbiome performs crucial functions that prevent the penetration of pathogenic germs or toxins and the resulting diseases. In addition, a balanced gut microbiome is essential for the health of the intestinal mucosa and the functional physiology of the gut.




Using next generation sequencing, regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA are amplified, sequenced and the sequences obtained are then analysed bioinformatically.




Contents of findings of the intestinal microbiome (Profil 20177)
- Number of species & biodiversity
- Enterotypes
- Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio
- Lactic acid-producing bacteria
- Foreign flora from the mouth/throat area
- Proteobacteria- SCFA-producing bacteria
- Equol-forming bacteria
- Sulphur gas-producing bacteria
- Assessment of the individual result
- General comments on the stool microbiome



Stabilised stool is required for the analysis (DNA/RNA shield tube).
You can order the required stool collection set M900571 from us:
→ Stool collection set article number M900571:
- 1x DNA/RNA shield tube
- Stool catcher for the toilet
- Collection instructions



The analysis is carried out in batch and takes approx. 15 working days.





Literature:
- Afzaal, M., Saeed, F., Shah, Y. A., Hussain, M., Rabail, R., Socol, C. T., Hassoun, A., Domínguez, R., Lorenzo, J. M., Rusu, A. V., & Aadil, R. M. (2022). Human gut microbiota in health and disease: Unveiling the relationship. Frontiers in Microbiology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.999001

- Malard, F., Doré, J., Gaugler, B., & Mohty, M. (2021). Introduction to host microbiome symbiosis in health and disease. Mucosal Immunology, 14(3), 547–554. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41385-020-00365-4

- Cani, P. D., De Hase, E. M., & Van Hul, M. (2021). Gut microbiota and host metabolism: From proof of concept to therapeutic intervention. Microorganisms, 9(6), 1302. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9061302

- Round, J. L., & Mazmanian, S. K. (2009). The gut microbiota shapes intestinal immune responses during health and disease. Nature Reviews Immunology, 9(5), 313–323. https://doi.org/10.1038/nri2515

- Thursby, E., & Juge, N. (2017). Introduction to the human gut microbiota. Biochemical Journal, 474(11), 1823–1836. https://doi.org/10.1042/bcj20160510

- Zhang, P. (2022). Influence of foods and nutrition on the gut microbiome and implications for intestinal health. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(17), 9588. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23179588