Healthy microbiome
Biofilms naturally grow throughout the gut, both on the surface and in the lumen, either attached to mucus or food particles. Most gut microbes are symbiotic (where both the human body and the microbes benefit) and some, in smaller numbers, are pathogenic (promoting disease). In a healthy body, pathogenic and symbiotic microbiota coexist without problems. But, if there is a disturbance in that balance—brought on by infectious illnesses, certain diets, or the prolonged use of antibiotics or other bacteria-destroying medications—dysbiosis occurs, stopping these normal interactions. As a result, the body may become more susceptible to disease.
Some of the most abundant gut microbes are Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia.
These beneficial gut microbes exist in close proximity and coordinate with the mucus layer of the gut, either as free-floating planktonic cells or stuck together in a biofilm.
Further reading on health gut biofilms
The hunt for a healthy microbiome, Michael Eisenstein, Nature, 2020. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00193-3.
De Vos, W. Microbial biofilms and the human intestinal microbiome. npj Biofilms Microbiomes 1, 15005 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/npjbiofilms.2015.5.
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