bacterial flora

(noun)

A community of bacteria that exists on or in the body, and possesses a unique ecological relationship with the host.

Related Terms

Examples of bacterial flora in the following topics:

  • Bacterial Flora

    • The large intestine houses over 700 species of bacteria that perform a wide variety of functions; it is the largest bacterial ecosystem in the human body.
    • These are produced as a result of the bacterial fermentation of undigested polysaccharides.
    • The normal flora is also essential for the development of certain tissues, including the cecum and lymphatics.
    • Bacterial flora is also involved in the production of cross-reactive antibodies.
    • These are antibodies produced by the immune system against the normal flora, that are also effective against related pathogens, and prevent infection or invasion.

  • Digestive Processes of the Large Intestine

    • Gut flora consists of microorganisms that live in the digestive tracts of animals and is the largest reservoir of human flora.
    • Bacteria make up most of the flora in the colon and up to 60 percent of the dry mass of feces.
    • Without gut flora, the human body would be unable to utilize some of the undigested carbohydrates it consumes; some types of gut flora have enzymes that human cells lack for breaking down certain polysaccharides.
    • Carbohydrates requiring bacterial assistance in digestion include:
    • Summarize the digestive processes of the gut flora of the large intestine

  • Normal Genitourinary Microbiota

    • Those that are expected to be present and that under normal circumstances do not cause disease, but instead participate in maintaining health, are deemed members of the normal flora.
    • Bacterial cells are much smaller than human cells, and there are at least ten times as many bacteria as human cells in the body (approximately 1014 versus 1013).
    • Normal flora bacteria can act as opportunistic pathogens at times of lowered immunity.The vaginal microflora consist mostly of various lactobacillus species .
    • Disturbance of the vaginal flora can lead to bacterial vaginosis.

  • Overview of Human-Microbial Reactions

    • Bacterial protein-coding genes are estimated as 360 times more abundant than human genes.
    • Microbial metabolic activities, for example, digestion of fats, are not always provided by the same bacterial species.
    • Gut flora consists of microorganisms that live in the digestive tracts of animals and is the largest reservoir of human flora.
    • Bacteria make up most of the flora in the colon and up to 60% of the dry mass of feces.
    • Skin flora are usually non-pathogenic and either commensal or mutualistic.

  • Suppression and Alteration of Microbiota by Antimicrobials

    • Most of these microbes are bacterial and fungal.
    • An example is gut flora getting into the body's blood stream.
    • In the case of the gut flora, this may impair the ability of a patient to properly metabolize food.
    • In addition to serving a necessary function as gut flora due in metabolism of food, some microbiota in our bodies serve the function of keeping pathogenic microbes from inhabiting or dominating other flora at locations in our body.
    • Fortunately there are antimicrobial agents that specifically target pathogenic bacterial species, which opposed to broad-spectrum treatments can reduce harmful effects on beneficial microbes.

  • Innate Resistance

    • There is good evidence that re-introduction of probiotic flora, such as pure cultures of the lactobacilli normally found in unpasteurized yogurt, helps restore a healthy balance of microbial populations in intestinal infections in children and encouraging preliminary data in studies on bacterial gastroenteritis and inflammatory bowel diseases.
    • Many of the bacteria in the digestive tract are collectively referred to as the gut flora .
    • Normal flora bacteria can act as opportunistic pathogens at times of lowered immunity.
    • The gut flora is the human flora of microorganisms that normally live in the digestive tract and can perform a number of useful functions for their hosts.
    • It is the largest reservoir of human flora.

  • Bacteroides and Flavobacterium

    • The presence of bacteroides in the normal flora of mammals is indicative of its role in processing complex molecules to simpler ones that can be utilized by the host.
    • The role of bacteroides in the normal flora extends beyond their ability to breakdown larger complex molecules and can display protective function.
    • Due to the abundancy of the bacteroides within the gastrointestinal system, bacteroides constitute a significant portion of the fecal bacterial population.
    • The species Flavobacterium branchiophilum causes the Bacterial Gill Disease (BGD) on trouts.
    • Describe the role of Bacteroides in the normal flora of the human gastrointestinal tract and the role of Flavobacterium in causing disease in freshwater fish

  • Bacterial Skin Diseases

    • Impetigo is a highly contagious bacterial skin infection most common among pre-school children.
    • Erysipelas is an acute streptococcus bacterial infection of the upper dermis and superficial lymphatics.
    • Cellulitis can be caused by normal skin flora or by exogenous bacteria, and often occurs where the skin has previously been broken.
    • Group A Streptococcus and Staphylococcus are the most common of these bacteria, which are part of the normal flora of the skin, but normally cause no actual infection while on the skin's outer surface.

  • Microbiota of the Skin

    • The skin flora, more properly referred to as the skin microbiome or skin microbiota, are the microorganisms that reside on the skin.
    • Skin flora are usually non-pathogenic, and either commensals (are not harmful to their host) or mutualistic (offer a benefit).
    • The estimate of the number of species present on skin bacteria has been radically changed by the use of 16S ribosomal RNA to identify bacterial species present on skin samples direct from their genetic material.
    • There are three main ecological areas for skin flora: sebaceous, moist, and dry.
    • Describe the types of skin flora and how they can be beneficial for the organism

  • Antibiotic Misuse

    • Antibiotic misuse is one factor responsible for the emergence of antimicrobial resistant bacterial strains.
    • Overuse of antibiotics affects the body's normal flora and disrupts the balance between beneficial bacteria that help digestion for example, and harmful bacteria.
    • Responsible antibiotic use in industry, and good practice for patients and physicians, are essential to keep resistant bacterial strains curable, and antibiotic treatment affordable to patients.
    • Misusing them leads to resistant bacterial strains.