Tackling the various myths within the field of microbiome research

Source– The post is based on the article “Tackling the various myths within the field of microbiome research” published in The Hindu on 27th September 2023.

Syllabus: GS 3 – Science and Technology

News– A recent evaluation published in Nature Microbiology challenges the popular beliefs about microbes.

What are popular beliefs challenged by the evaluation published in Nature Microbiology?

The age of the field– The notion about microbiome research is that it is a recent development. But scientists had already documented the advantages of bacteria like Escherichia coli and Bifidobacteria as far back as the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The question of origin- Joshua Lederberg, a Nobel laureate in medicine, is often credited for coining the term in 2001. But the researchers had employed the term in its current context over a decade earlier. Researchers Whipps J.M., Lewis K., and Cooke R.C. had utilised the term in 1988 to describe a microbial community.

The number of microbes- There were widespread misconceptions pertaining to the scale of the microbiome. Number of microbial cells in a single gram of human faeces has been significantly overstated. According to the authors, the genuine figure falls within the range of 10^10 to 10^12 cells.

The mass of the microbiome- Numerous research articles claimed that the human microbiota weighs between 1 to 2 kilograms. But its actual weight is approximately half a kilogram or even less.

From mother to child- Contrary to certain beliefs, mothers do not transmit their microbiomes to their children during birth. While a few microorganisms are directly transferred during childbirth, they make up only a small portion of the human microbiota.

Danger associated with microbes- Some researchers have proposed that diseases arise from unfavourable interactions between microbial communities and our cells.

However, the evaluation suggests that the beneficial or harmful nature of microbes and its byproducts depends on the specific circumstances.

The authors acknowledged that diseases have been linked to alterations in the microbiome’s composition, and such changes could potentially exacerbate certain conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease.

Therefore, attributing a particular microbial profile or modifications in it to a specific disease is “extremely challenging.”

Standardised methods- There is a prevailing belief that standardised methods are necessary for facilitating comparisons between various studies. However, as per evaluation there is no flawless methodology. Opting for a single universal approach would mean overlooking the inherent limitations associated with that chosen method.

The culturable microbiome- Many believe that cultivating microbes from the human microbiome in a laboratory setting is challenging.

However, the authors say that scientists were able to culture a variety of microbiome species from the gut during the 1970s. They noted that the existing gaps in culture collections can be attributed to a historical lack of effort rather than inability to culture these microbes.