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Updated: Nov 18, 2025

Assessing the Viability of a Synthetic Bacterial Consortium on the In Vitro Gut Host-microbe Interface
Published on: July 4, 2018
Gut Bacteroides species in health and disease
Hassan Zafar1,2, Milton H Saier1
1Department of Molecular Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California at San Diego , USA.
Abstract:
The functional diversity of the mammalian intestinal microbiome far exceeds that of the host organism, and microbial genes contribute substantially to the well-being of the host. However, beneficial gut organisms can also be pathogenic when present in the gut or other locations in the body. Among dominant beneficial bacteria are several species of Bacteroides, which metabolize polysaccharides and oligosaccharides, providing nutrition and vitamins to the host and other intestinal microbial residents. These topics and the specific organismal and molecular interactions that are known to be responsible for the beneficial and detrimental effects of Bacteroides species in humans comprise the focus of this review. The complexity of these interactions will be revealed.
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