Analysis of gut microbiota and its role in health and disease

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The human GI tract contains a complex array of bacteria with as many as 1000 bacterial species. We now know that the gut microbiota plays a critical role in the maintenance of gut health in both humans and animals. In this project we will compare the microbial ecology of the GI tract of healthy volunteers with those of the patients suffering from ulcerative colitis. We will use the culture independent molecular profiling methods to analyse the gut bacteria and isolate key strains that are either protective or have a proinflammatory functions. We will undertake genome sequencing of the key gut bacteria such as Bacteroides ovatus as well as a strain of Lactobacillus johnsonii that has been identified as competitive excluder of human gut pathogens. We will undertake detailed molecular genetic studies to identify the mechanisms of competitive exclusion process. Once the genome analysis has been completed we will use in vitro colon model systems to study the interactions between the gut commensal bacteria and food pathogens.

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