Microbiomes of Humans, Animals, Plants, and the Environment – serie

This book reviews recent knowledge of the role of gut microbiome in health and disease. It covers extensive topics for several diseases, including metabolic-related diseases, allergies, gastrointestinal diseases, psychiatric diseases, and cancer, while also discussing therapeutic approaches by microbiota modification. Comprehensive and cutting-edge, Gut Microbiome-Related Diseases and Therapies deepens a reader’s theoretical expertise in gut microbiome.Graduate and postdoctoral students, medical doctors, and biomedical researchers will benefit from this book.

This book reviews recent knowledge of the role of gut microbiome in health and disease. It covers extensive topics for several diseases, including metabolic-related diseases, allergies, gastrointestinal diseases, psychiatric diseases, and cancer, while also discussing therapeutic approaches by microbiota modification. Comprehensive and cutting-edge, Gut Microbiome-Related Diseases and Therapies deepens a reader’s theoretical expertise in gut microbiome.Graduate and postdoctoral students, medical doctors, and biomedical researchers will benefit from this book.

This book examines an important paradigm shift in biology: Plants and animals, traditionally viewed as individuals, are now considered to be complex systems and host to a plethora of microorganisms. After first presenting historical aspects of microbiota research, bacterial compositions of individual microbiomes and the critical analysis of current methods, the book discusses how microbial communities inside the human body are profoundly affected by numerous factors, such as macro- and micro-nutrients, physical exercise, antibiotics, gender and age. As described by current research, the author highlights how microbiomes contribute to the fitness of the host by providing nutrients, inhibiting pathogens, aiding in the storage of fat during pregnancy, and contributing to development and behavior. The author not only focusses on prokaryotic components in microbiomes, but also addresses single-cell eukaryotes and viruses.This follow-up to the successful  book The Hologenome Concept: Human, Animal and Plant Microbiota, published in 2013, provides a contemporary overview of microbiomes. It appeals to anyone working in the life sciences and biomedicine.

This book examines an important paradigm shift in biology: Plants and animals, traditionally viewed as individuals, are now considered to be complex systems and host to a plethora of microorganisms. After first presenting historical aspects of microbiota research, bacterial compositions of individual microbiomes and the critical analysis of current methods, the book discusses how microbial communities inside the human body are profoundly affected by numerous factors, such as macro- and micro-nutrients, physical exercise, antibiotics, gender and age. As described by current research, the author highlights how microbiomes contribute to the fitness of the host by providing nutrients, inhibiting pathogens, aiding in the storage of fat during pregnancy, and contributing to development and behavior. The author not only focusses on prokaryotic components in microbiomes, but also addresses single-cell eukaryotes and viruses.This follow-up to the successful  book The Hologenome Concept: Human, Animal and Plant Microbiota, published in 2013, provides a contemporary overview of microbiomes. It appeals to anyone working in the life sciences and biomedicine.

This work sheds new light on the interplay between the gut, gut microbiota, and host physiological processes in production animals.The gut microbiome shapes health and susceptibility to disease and has become a leading area of research in the animal sciences. Gut health encompasses a number of physiological and functional features. Nutrient digestion and absorption, host metabolism and energy generation, a stable microbiome, mucus layer development, barrier function, and mucosal immune responses; all of which are required to interact to make an animal perform physiologically and according to its greatest genetic potential.This carefully presented book broadens our vision, approach and results on gut health and the ability to regulate animal production. Understanding the chemistry of microbiomes has broad implications, including providing functional annotations for the microbial genomes, insights into the chemical languages that link microbes to each other and to their host, and translational implications for precision veterinary medicine, environmental health, and sustainable animal agriculture and welfare. Experts working in microbiome research, host immunity, and animal production, veterinarians and researchers in livestock science will understand the great importance of this volume.

This updated and expanded second edition reviews numerous aspects of the marine microbiome and its possible industrial applications. The marine microbiome is the total of microorganisms and viruses in the ocean and seas and in any connected environment, including the seafloor and marine animals and plants. In the first part of the book, diversity, origin and evolution of the marine microorganisms and viruses are discussed. The microbes presented originate from all three domains of life: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. The second part sheds some light on the different communities: it describes marine habitats and how their inhabitants control biogeochemical cycles. The third part finally examines the microbial ocean as a global system and evaluates methods of utilizing marine microbial resources. Adopting a translational approach, the book connects academic research with industrial applications, making it a fascinating read and valuable resource for microbiologists from both domains.

This updated and expanded second edition reviews numerous aspects of the marine microbiome and its possible industrial applications. The marine microbiome is the total of microorganisms and viruses in the ocean and seas and in any connected environment, including the seafloor and marine animals and plants. In the first part of the book, diversity, origin and evolution of the marine microorganisms and viruses are discussed. The microbes presented originate from all three domains of life: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. The second part sheds some light on the different communities: it describes marine habitats and how their inhabitants control biogeochemical cycles. The third part finally examines the microbial ocean as a global system and evaluates methods of utilizing marine microbial resources. Adopting a translational approach, the book connects academic research with industrial applications, making it a fascinating read and valuable resource for microbiologists from both domains.

The gut environment is fundamental to the modulation of innate and adaptive immunity, not only in the intestinal mucosa, but systemically. Immune cells constantly circulate through the intestinal tissue and gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), where their phenotype and function are regulated by several factors, including but not limited to the commensal gut microbiota. The host-microbiome interaction, and the role of the gut microbiota in modulating innate and adaptive immunity in the intestinal mucosa and systemically, has been amply described in recent literature and reviews. This contributed volume instead explores the cutting-edge concept that gut microbiota composition is only one of the actors in intestinal immune regulation, and that several other factors -- both genetic and environmental -- modulate innate and adaptive immunity within the intestine. Each chapter in this volume addresses the various intestinal factors modulating immunity, including food components, endogenous metabolites, biological gut barrier components, and enteric neuroimmune circuits, individually and within the context of their integration with systemic components affecting immune cell phenotypes and function. In addition, it will more broadly address the role of the physical and biological barriers as key players in the interaction between immune cells and the intestinal environment, including coverage of cutting-edge in vivo technologies that have allowed the characterization of these interactions. The final chapters are dedicated to understanding how gut environment modifications are involved, and can be therapeutically manipulated in different diseases settings, including targeting the gut environment to regular response in anti-tumor immunity, fighting infections, and controlling autoimmune diseases.

The gut environment is fundamental to the modulation of innate and adaptive immunity, not only in the intestinal mucosa, but systemically. Immune cells constantly circulate through the intestinal tissue and gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), where their phenotype and function are regulated by several factors, including but not limited to the commensal gut microbiota. The host-microbiome interaction, and the role of the gut microbiota in modulating innate and adaptive immunity in the intestinal mucosa and systemically, has been amply described in recent literature and reviews. This contributed volume instead explores the cutting-edge concept that gut microbiota composition is only one of the actors in intestinal immune regulation, and that several other factors -- both genetic and environmental -- modulate innate and adaptive immunity within the intestine. Each chapter in this volume addresses the various intestinal factors modulating immunity, including food components, endogenous metabolites, biological gut barrier components, and enteric neuroimmune circuits, individually and within the context of their integration with systemic components affecting immune cell phenotypes and function. In addition, it will more broadly address the role of the physical and biological barriers as key players in the interaction between immune cells and the intestinal environment, including coverage of cutting-edge in vivo technologies that have allowed the characterization of these interactions. The final chapters are dedicated to understanding how gut environment modifications are involved, and can be therapeutically manipulated in different diseases settings, including targeting the gut environment to regular response in anti-tumor immunity, fighting infections, and controlling autoimmune diseases.

This book provides an ample overview of the current state of research on nutrition's influence on the human microbiome and how it can be leveraged in personalized diets. It covers the most relevant perspectives in this burgeoning and interdisciplinary field of research, ranging from how foods and food supplements can be used to modulate the gut microbiome, to the role of large-scale food information initiatives in raising public awareness of this topic. Particular attention is paid to the impact of food processing and preparation methods on the modulation of the gut microbiota, a yet understudied area, which is crucial for the development of sophisticated personalized nutrition programs. In addition, the book addresses important societal aims, such as that of recycling agricultural products for the food industry with the specific goal of targeting the gut microbiome for better health. The role of microbiome-aware nutrition in the context of important diseases of the 21st century such as obesity and allergy, especially in the case of children, is also discussed. Moreover, the authors explore the potential contributions of metabolic modelling to guide dietary interventions for microbiota modulation, as well as strategies on how all this information can be incorporated into dietary applications targeting consumers interested in improving their microbiome and health.The book addresses researchers from academia and industry interested in the relationship and interplay between the gut microbiome, individual nutrition and health.

This book provides an ample overview of the current state of research on nutrition's influence on the human microbiome and how it can be leveraged in personalized diets. It covers the most relevant perspectives in this burgeoning and interdisciplinary field of research, ranging from how foods and food supplements can be used to modulate the gut microbiome, to the role of large-scale food information initiatives in raising public awareness of this topic. Particular attention is paid to the impact of food processing and preparation methods on the modulation of the gut microbiota, a yet understudied area, which is crucial for the development of sophisticated personalized nutrition programs. In addition, the book addresses important societal aims, such as that of recycling agricultural products for the food industry with the specific goal of targeting the gut microbiome for better health. The role of microbiome-aware nutrition in the context of important diseases of the 21st century such as obesity and allergy, especially in the case of children, is also discussed. Moreover, the authors explore the potential contributions of metabolic modelling to guide dietary interventions for microbiota modulation, as well as strategies on how all this information can be incorporated into dietary applications targeting consumers interested in improving their microbiome and health.The book addresses researchers from academia and industry interested in the relationship and interplay between the gut microbiome, individual nutrition and health.

This volume introduces the revolutionary field of microbial single-cell omics, a suite of cutting-edge techniques that uncover the genetic, functional, and metabolic signatures of individual microbial cells. From the discovery of new microbial lineages to decoding virus-host interactions, this book highlights the transformative impact of single-cell genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics.With expert protocols and innovative workflows, the book provides practical guidance on fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), microfluidic encapsulation, and advanced genome amplification techniques. It also explores targeted methods, like FISH-FACS for recovering rare microbes, activity-based cell separation, and multi-omics approaches that integrate genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data. The authors discuss future developments and the immense benefits of analysing and understanding microbes one cell at a time, offering a glimpse into how this knowledge can transform microbial ecology, biomedicine, and biotechnology.The book is aimed at researchers and students of environmental microbiology who wish to expand their knowledge of this ground-breaking approach and the underlying technology.