MI011-07 The role of the host micobiota in enteric disease development

The microbiota of the human intestine provides an important protective function against enteric pathogens. There are a number of disease syndromes that are caused or exacerbated by alterations in the intestinal microbiota. Antibiotic-induced enterocolitis, often of undefined etiology, can be a debilitating consequence of therapeutic antimicrobial use.  Also, new methods to control such syndromes have been proposed, including the use of probiotic organisms or prebiotic dietary supplements. Yet assessment of these diseases and therapeutic approaches is difficult, as there presently exists no standard animal model to investigate the interaction of the host microbiota with bacterial pathogens. These interactions are so complex that, until recently, the tools did not exist to adequately study them. As a group, we possess the collective expertise to contribute to this field. We therefore propose to create a new animal model that will allow such studies.  In this proposal, we will use Salmonella as the model pathogen, as its behavior has been well characterized in animal studies, but we anticipate that the model will be applicable to other human pathogens and to various therapies for enterocolitis.  Thus, we aim to create a novel model to study the protective nature of the norm al microbiota in enteric disease.

Publications:

Overview of the Gastrointestinal Microbiota

Reproducible Community Dynamics of the Gastrointestinal Microbiota 3 Following Antibiotic Perturbation

Reproducible Community Dynamics of the Gastrointestinal Microbiota following Antibiotic Perturbation