Discovering the microbiota
What role do microbiota play in health?
This thematic paper describes the latest advances on the relationship between gut microbiota and diarrhea, which is the main symptom of gastrointestinal infections and the second leading cause of death worldwide in children under five.
Would it be possible to combat diarrhea by acting on the microbiota? Who is responsible for damaging our flora? The aim of this thematic paper is to provide some insights into these issues.
Everything you want to know about microbiota
The terms “microbiota” and intestinal flora both refer to the collection of microorganisms present in our gastrointestinal tract.
There are different ways of taking care of your gastrointestinal microbiota. For example, taking probiotics or prebiotics and having a balanced diet.
More than 10,000 billion bacteria are present in our intestines.
Besides the intestinal microbiota, our body hosts microorganisms in different places. We also have a vaginal microbiota in women, and cutaneous, ENT, buccal, bronchial, and urinary microbiotas.
Imbalance in the microbiota, also called dysbiosis, can result from an unsuitable diet, but also from taking certain medications (such as antibiotics), or from stress
