What is Normal Flora and why it`s important?

(posted on smallthingsconsideredblog.wordpress.com on Sept. 25th)
(Little note, I was lost and didn’t know that we have assigned microbes, so I wrote this.)

You and I are covered with microbes and microorganisms! Some of the could cause disease and some without causing any disease. There are more microorganisms living in or on our bodies than we have cells of our own. Microbes are everywhere. Their impact on our life and environment is dependents on many interactions. This report will focus on the connection between microbes and human body.

abc.caJournal: MICROBES AND YOU: NORMAL FLORA

The Microbes that are colonizing in or on our bodies are called Normal Flora. These microbes could be found in nose, mouth, throat, skin, and particularly in large intestine. The only places that microbe free are the following: Human brain, circulatory system and the lungs. Scientists refer to the human body as a home for microbes. the relationship between human body and microbes are classified as mutualistic (where host and microbe benefit) and commensalistic (where microbe benefits and host not). Normal flora and our body have mutualistic relationship. Human body provides nutrients and designated place for microbes to inhabit and in return they would protect us from other harmful parasites or microbes by the flowing: Competing with harmful invaders for space and food, producing bacteriocins (proteins produced to kill other harmful microbes), and lowering the pH so that other bacteria can’t grow, help digest food, improve the immune system, and produce vitamins. There is always a downside for being a host to many microbes.

Figure 1. Locations of the normal bacterial Flora.
Each of these locations have assigned microbes. Source

Human skin is very dry and somewhat acidic where not many microbes live. However, Propionibacterium acnes manage to adapt and live in small holes on our skin. These P. acnes could cause, as we all know, acnes. Yet, they protect our skin from other harmful microbes from entering our body. Staphylococcus epidermidis is another microbe that adapt and inhibit on our skin that protect us from harmful invaders. Though, recent studies show that S. epidermidis is a significant opportunist life threatening pathogen, once find their way inside human body and potentially cause chronic diseases. S. epidermidis infection treatment is complex due to their antibiotic resistance and formation of biofilm.

In addition, Escherichia coli is also an adherent of normal flora that is found in gastrointestinal tract. E. coli live peacefully in our gut and munch on our food and help us to digest food. Of course, E. coli could cause urinary tract infection if its introduced into bladder, and they also cause vomiting or diarrhea, after eating contaminated food with pathogenic strains. In rare cases, E. coli infection could lead to kidney failure and even death.

The normal flora is made of several communities of microbes and bacterias that use human body as their ecosystem. These bacteria are harmless, even beneficial, in their usual sites, and they inhibit the growth of pathogens. But, sustaining balance among microbial ecosystem is very important. The disruption of these ecosystem could have volatile consequences, such as; infection diseases, antibiotic resistance, tissue damage, introduction of new pathogen, and even death of organisms.

References

David Oliver. 2003. MICROBES AND YOU: NORMAL FLORA. The University Of British Colombia, The Science Creative Quarterly. Website

Michael Otto, Ph. D. 2009. Staphylococcus epidermidis-the”accidental” pathogen. National  Center for Biotechnology Information. Website

Matthew A. Croxen, Robyn J. Law, Roland Scholz, Kristie M. Keeney, Marta Wlodarska, and B. Brett Finlaycorresponding author. 2013. Recent Advances in Understanding Enteric Pathogenic Escherichia Coli. National  Center for Biotechnology Information. Website