L’ALTRA PARTE DI NOI – IL MICROBIOMA UMANO

Abstract

The importance of microorganisms associated with man, the so-called “human microbiota” has become increasingly clear from recent scientific studies. Although it has been known for many years that some microorganisms might have a beneficial effect on processes such as digestion or on the immune system, the specific mechanisms of these phenomena have never been thoroughly studied. However, in recent years the prevalence of either beneficial microorganisms or harmful bacteria, even though not strictly pathogenic, has been associated with pathological conditions such as obesity, Crohn’s disease, atherosclerosis, and other diseases in which a bacterial component had never been implicated. In this report, I describe the main concepts related to the definition of microbiome and the potential impact of studying the mechanisms of man-microbiome interaction on the treatment of several illnesses.