The Use of Defined Microbial Communities To Model Host-Microbe Interactions in the Human Gut.

ABSTRACT: The human intestinal ecosystem is characterized by a complex interplay between different microorganisms and the host. The high variation within the human population further complicates the quest toward an adequate understanding of this complex system that is so relevant to human health and well-being. To study host-microbe interactions, defined synthetic bacterial communities have been introduced in gnotobiotic animals or in sophisticated in vitro cell models. This review reinforces that our limited understanding has often hampered the appropriate design of defined communities that represent the human gut microbiota. On top of this, some communities have been applied to in vivo models that differ appreciably from the human host. In this review, the advantages and disadvantages of using def

SUBMITTER: Elzinga J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6684003 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature