Today is World Microbiome Day, a day devoted to celebrating all things microbial worldwide. The theme of the 2019 World Microbiome Day is ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE.
The day is dedicated to introducing international microbiome researchers to the public to raise awareness of the diverse world of microbes and how they need to be protected.
“Microorganisms (e.g. bacteria, fungi, viruses, archaea, etc) can be found everywhere in and on plants, animals, water, soil, food and humans. Within each of those habitats, microorganisms live together in communities called microbiomes. Microbiomes have an effect on (amongst others) human health; therefore, scientists are exploring how these communities of organisms co-exist with each other, with us and our environment.
“The 2019 World Microbiome Day theme is ‘Antibiotic Resistance’. Antibiotics are life-saving drugs against harmful bacterial infections that also affect the beneficial bacteria of the human, animal and plant microbiome. Overuse and misuse of antibiotics can lead to bacteria becoming resistant to the antibiotics making them ineffective. That’s why we need everybody to help raise the profile of this important issue and empower people to use antibiotics responsibly.” (World Microbiome Day, 2019)
World Microbiome Day 2018: “Mind Our Microbes”
HUMAN & OTHER MICROBIOMES
The human body contains collections of micro-organisms that include bacteria, protozoa, fungi, viruses and other one-celled organisms living in and on the body. Our bodies’ interactions with these microbes are crucial to the state of our health. These microbes live both INSIDE us – in our digestive organs and lungs — and externally ON us – on our skin, mouth, genitals. Our microbiomes serve many essential functions in the body: aiding digestion, supporting the immune system living in our guts and preventing infections. In addition, the gut microbiome continually interacts with the brain, making it possible to support mental health through changing your gut microbiome. Humans are actually ECOSYSTEMS made up of our human cells and billions of these other micro-organisms.
(World Microbiome Day, 2019)
Other animals on earth living on the land, in the water and the sky also need ecosystems made up of their own cells and a healthy variety of micro-organisms. The same is true of plants’, the soils’, food sources’, oceans’, rivers’ and lakes’ ecosystems.
The poisoning of the ecosystems on our planet and climate change have done serious damage to the planet – with dire consequences.
I’ll let Jasmina Agranovic, whose principal interest is the skin microbiome (she’s the president of Mother Dirt*), speak in her own words to explain the importance of the various microbiomes in the human body:
“There’s an important dynamic at play between consumers and scientists right now. These two worlds were once far apart, but have recently started to overlap. This is especially evident in the field of the microbiome, where it could even be argued that public demand has become a driver of the science. Never before has a topic been spoken about so publicly and marketed ahead of extensive clinical and scientific validation.
“The gut microbiome has done a lot of the heavy lifting in reframing our relationship with bacteria. As people are becoming more aware of the benefits of good bacteria in digestive health, there is also a shifting view our bodies as ecosystems, rather than simply tissues and organs. While still a stretch, it is slowly becoming less of one to see how the same is true for their skin….
“The impact of this ongoing and prevalent conversation is something you can see already: It’s now becoming more common for primary care doctors to prescribe a probiotic in conjunction with antibiotics. Kombucha has transformed from a specialty item found only at health food stores to something you can pick up at your local drug store. Kimchi and Sauerkraut have become dietary staples, along endless other fermented and probiotic-infused foods.
“This public interest has placed more scrutiny on the science. Together, these are driving a big financial appetite by investors, creating support for entrepreneurs and researchers with big ideas in the space.
“Companies like Ubiome specialize in at-home gut and vaginal biome screenings. OpenBiome works in stool donations, enabling people to get live-saving fecal transplants. Seres Therapeutics was also the first publicly traded microbiome biotech company based off of their work on treatments for C Diff. In 2016 the FDA banned triclosan, which is the active ingredient in many antibacterial soaps, stating it’s no more effective than washing with soap and water, and that it could actually do more harm than good over time.
“Even museums have started to showcase the microbiome as part of our future. The Victoria & Albert Museum in London has an exhibit on display until Nov 2018 called “The Future Starts Here: 100 projects shaping the world of tomorrow” where one of the projects included in the show is Mother Dirt representing the skin biome and what might exist in a future home.
“So what’s the next big thing in bacteria? We earnestly believe that relationship with the microbial world is one of the most important shifts in public health of our generation. For many, the microbiome and the importance of good bacteria in and on your body might be the missing piece of the puzzle when it comes to many of the health issues we are still trying to solve. We don’t know what we don’t know, but many are rightfully excited at the prospect of exploring this field for all the potential it seems to hold. The public interest has helped push the gas pedal on the scientific progress. As we continue to make progress in new discoveries in the field, it will be increasingly important that the science remains rigorous and that we also temper expectations.
“Keep asking questions, keep challenging the norm, and keep pushing for more, and together we’ll create a world where clean comes with healthy.” – Aganovic, 2018
*MOTHER DIRT
Mother Dirt is a company in Cambridge MA that makes skin biome-friendly products based on extensive research on the skin microbiome and the Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria (AOB) our skin needs to stay healthy .
“For most of human existence, there was a peacekeeping Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria (AOB) that lived on our skin. It wasn’t until the last 100 years when indoor lifestyles and personal care products removed it. This bacteria is still found on untouched indigenous tribes, whose skin is in a native, healthy state.” (Mother Dirt, 2019) We believe that the diverse world of microbiomes deserves more recognition due to its effect on human, animal and environmental health! Join us in celebrating World Microbiome Day 2019 and communicating the effects of antibiotics on the microbiome.
(World Microbiome Day 6/27/2019)
You can go to the World Microbiome Day 6/27/2019 site to learn more about the importance of microbiomes and take some quizzes to test your knowledge about six microbiomes: Food, Plant, Soil, Animal, Marine and Human. ADDITIONAL READING
There are additional posts on AllergiesAndYourGut about the gut and other microbiomes. You can search on the site for what interests you. REFERENCES
Aganovic, J. (2018). The Future Starts Here: The Rise of the Microbiome. See: https://motherdirt.com/blogs/news/the-future-starts-here-the-rise-of-the-microbiome?utm_source=rejoiner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2019%2F06%2F27+Dirt+Digest+World+Microbiome+Day&utm_content=2019%2F06%2F27+Dirt+Digest+World+Microbiome+Day&rjnrid=d64BMqL
Hardin, J.R. (12/18/2014). AO Biome: Clean vs Sterile. https://www.allergiesandyourgut.com/post/ao-biome-clean-vs-sterile
Hardin, J.R. (4/9/2015). How the Gut Microbiome Influences the Brain – and Vice Versa. See: https://www.allergiesandyourgut.com/post/how-the-gut-microbiome-influences-the-brain-and-vice-versa
Hardin, J.R. (6/13/2015). What’s in the Human Microbiome. See: https://www.allergiesandyourgut.com/post/what-s-in-the-human-microbiome
Hardin, J.R. (1/29/2016). Repair the Soil’s Microbiome to Resolve the Climate Crisis. See: https://www.allergiesandyourgut.com/post/repair-the-soil-s-microbiome-to-resolve-the-climate-crisis
Hardin, J.R. (2/25/2016). Follow Up on AO+ Living Bacterial Skin Tonic. See: https://www.allergiesandyourgut.com/post/follow-up-on-ao-living-bacterial-skin-tonic
Hardin, J.R. (3/10/2016). ANTIBIOTICS, THE GUT MICROBIOME & THE REST OF THE BODY. See: https://www.allergiesandyourgut.com/post/antibiotics-the-gut-microbiome-the-rest-of-the-body
Mother Dirt. (2019). Mother Dirt: Science. See: https://motherdirt.com/pages/science © Copyright 2019. Joan Rothchild Hardin. All Rights Reserved.
DISCLAIMER: Nothing on this site or blog is intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.