Exploring Human Bacterial Diversity Toward Prevention of Infectious Disease and Health Promotion

Abstract

Abstract The human body harbors substantial microbial richness represented by both commensals and pathogens, which can be explained by different microbiomes such as mouth, gut, vagina, and skin. The host-microbiome cross talk support the delicate balance between microbiota composition and immunological response for maintaining the healthy state of individuals. Any disruption in this equilibrium, as well as microbial diversity, leads to miscues and altered host responses which increases the risk of pathogenesis and emergence of life-threatening diseases such as ulcerative colitis, obesity, diabetes, asthma, cancers, and various psychiatric diseases. The diseased conditions have got aggravated as most of the pathogens have developed antibiotic resistance and are difficult to be eradicated by routine antibiotics. Different strategies are under in-depth research such as attenuation of bacterial cell-to-cell communication (quorum sensing inhibition), use of probiotics and antimicrobial agents (bacteriocins), and fecal microbiota transplantation for controlling microbiota linked diseases. These treatments could be effective in maintaining the normal microflora balance, preventing the spread of pathogen growth, obstructing virulence of pathogens, and diminishing the use of antibiotics consequently the development of drug resistance. This chapter will highlight abundance and diversity of bacterial groups in major microbiomes of the human body, their interactions with the host, how their alterations affect the health, and development of potential therapeutics toward imbalanced microbiota-mediated diseases.