It’s probably no surprise to hear that our bodies are teeming with microorganisms. It’s not the type that’ll make you ill, I promise. We couldn’t survive and be healthy without it. The small intestine is home to a large population of these “good” bacteria. The bacteria in our intestines aid us in many ways, but perhaps most importantly, they keep us safe and allow us to digest food and utilize energy.
Why Do We Need Gut Bacteria?
As the first line of defense, the bacteria in the human digestive tract play a significant role in shaping the maturation of the immune system. Our immune systems learn to distinguish between good and dangerous microbes because of the signals they get from the bacteria in our bodies. Toxin elimination from the body is another crucial function of the bacteria in our digestive tract.
COVID-19 Disruption In The Body
“Our research shows that a coronavirus infection directly upsets the healthy balance of microbes in the gut, putting patients in more danger,” says Ken Cadwell, Ph.D.
According to new research, COVID-19 infections can reduce the number of bacterial species in a person’s gut, making room for dangerous microbes to grow.
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When a person gets sick with SARS-CoV-2 (the COVID-19 pandemic virus) the number of bacterial species in their gut can decrease. With less variety in the microbiome, dangerous microbes can grow and spread. This report came out in the journal Nature Communications on November 1.
This new research is the first to demonstrate that coronavirus infection, and not the first course of antibiotics used to treat the sickness, is responsible for the disruption of the gut microbiota.
According to NYU Langone Health professor of microbiology and medicine David Cadwell, this is the first time it has been shown. He adds that this research is the first to show that harmful bacteria found in the digestive tract may enter the circulation and spread throughout the body.
“Our results suggest that coronavirus infection directly upsets the healthy balance of microbes in the gut, putting patients at even more risk,” says microbiologist and co-author of the study Cadwell, Ph.D. “Now that we know what caused this bacterial imbalance, doctors can better tell which coronavirus patients are most likely to get another bloodstream infection.”
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Antibiotics On Gut Bacteria
The study’s premise is that antibiotics have been widely utilized to treat diseases brought on by
