Factors associated with the diversification of the gut microbial communities within chimpanzees from Gombe National Park

The gastrointestinal tract harbors large and diverse populations of bacteria that vary among individuals and within individuals over time. Numerous internal and external factors can influence the contents of these microbial communities, including diet, geography, physiology, and the extent of contact among hosts. To investigate the contributions of such factors to the variation and changes in gut microbial communities, authors analyzed the distal gut microbiota of individual chimpanzees from two communities in Gombe National Park, Tanzania.

Data mining the human gut microbiota for therapeutic targets

It is well known that microbes have an intricate role in human health and disease. However, targeted strategies for modulating human health through the modification of either human-associated microbial communities or associated human-host targets have yet to be realized. New knowledge about the role of microbial communities in the microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and their collective genomes, the GIT microbiome, in chronic diseases opens new opportunities for therapeutic interventions.