Cause or effect? The spatial organization of pathogens and the gut microbiota in disease
Jen Nguyen, Deanna M. Pepin, Carolina Tropini
Abstract
The human gut hosts a dense and diverse microbial community, spatially organized in multiple scales of structure. Here, we review how microbial organization differs between health and disease. We describe how changes in spatial organization may induce alterations in gut homeostasis, concluding with a future outlook to reveal causality.
Topics & Concepts
BiologyDiseaseGut floraCausality (physics)Spatial organizationHuman diseaseDysbiosisComputational biologyHuman healthGut–brain axisMicrobiologyEvolutionary biologyImmunologyEnvironmental healthGeneticsPathologyGeneMedicineQuantum mechanicsPhysicsGut microbiota and healthClostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens researchProbiotics and Fermented Foods