What’s ‘Bugging’ You?
By Katie Reid, Unblind my Mind
“We Are Only 10% Human” was the title of a previous post introducing our microflora. That may sound like an outrageous claim, but in all seriousness, microbial cells in the body outnumber human cells by 10 to one and account for 99.9% of our unique genes.
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The epidemic of absence describes the lack of microflora populations in our human ecosystem. This absence from antibiotic use leaves us vulnerable to a host of opportunistic parasites, which no longer have a mutualistic relationship with the host. This intriguing TED talk by Ed Yong tells us of many examples where parasites drive the behaviors of animals. As data emerges on microflora and human behavior(1), we are left wondering just how our inner life of our human ecosystem, consisting of microbes to larger organisms, defines us, including our behavior.
The concept that our inner world of organisms drives our actions brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “What’s bugging you?” .
Genna Brown, a college summer intern, contributed to this post.
(1) Cryan, J. F., and S. M. O’Mahony. “The microbiome‐gut‐brain axis: from bowel to behavior.” Neurogastroenterology & Motility 23.3 (2011): 187-192.