Infectious diseases often make us uncomfortable. Recently, in a research paper published in the international journal PLoS ONE, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital used a special computer model to reveal that infections affect the natural intestinal flora. Related research may help clinicians develop new therapies for the treatment of gastrointestinal infections and inflammations.
Researcher Lynn Bry said that the number of bacteria in our intestines is more than 10 times that of body cells, and when faced with infection, the performance of these complex flora ecosystems will greatly affect our body's health. In the article, the researchers developed a new type of computer algorithm that can analyze the different stages of infection caused by Citrobacter, which can cause illness in mice, similar to the performance of human food poisoning.
The researchers introduced Citrobacter into the intestines of mice. Two months later, different levels of Citrobacter could be found at multiple sites in the intestines of mice. This new computer algorithm can help researchers to deal with infection and inflammation. The kinetic changes of bacteria are identified in the relevant intestinal complex flora.
When the mice were infected, the researchers found many damages to the normal flora in different parts of the mouse intestines. For example, the researchers found that the bacterial markers in the mouse colon tissues preceded the symptoms of the mice after the bacteria were infected. The level of other markers, including Clostridium and Lactobacillus, has shown an upward trend; more interestingly, some of these markers will occur in the site of intestinal infection pathogens, which will not Direct damage to the host's cells.
Researcher Bry said that from a clinical perspective, the new microbial markers we have identified can help clinicians detect early inflammation of the body or persistent drug resistance diseases in patients with gastrointestinal diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease; and the researchers The many time-dependent microbial markers identified may help scientists develop new targeted therapies for the treatment of infections and inflammatory diseases.