Bacteriophages as modulator for the human gut microbiota: Release from dairy food systems and survival in a dynamic human gastrointestinal model

International audienceUnderstanding the functions of the human gut microbiota and its associated phageome is of major interest. The human gut contains about 1015 phage particles, suggesting that phages may modulate the gut microbiota. Nevertheless, the targeted application of phages in the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) faces numerous challenges, i.e., availability of appropriate phage delivery systems and sensitivity of phages to gastrointestinal conditions. In the present study, a dynamic gastrointestinal model (TIM-1 system) was used to investigate i) the survival kinetics of the lactococcal phage P008 added to three different "test meals" and ii) the delivery of this phage to the large intestine. In the stomach compartment, a protective effect of the food matrix was documented on phage stability. The highest survival rate in the stomach was observed for encapsulated phages and a residual phage titer (in total) of 8 log phi was detected after 240 min digestion at a pH 90%) during passage through the upper human GIT and may hence be able - when added e.g. to a dairy food matrix - to affect the activity of the human gut microbiota

Emerging Technologies for Gut Microbiome Research

Understanding the importance of the gut microbiome on modulation of host health has become a subject of great interest for researchers across disciplines. As an intrinsically multidisciplinary field, microbiome research has been able to reap the benefits of technological advancements in systems and synthetic biology, biomaterials engineering, and traditional microbiology. Gut microbiome research has been revolutionized by high-throughput sequencing technology, permitting compositional and functional analyses that were previously an unrealistic undertaking. Emerging technologies including engineered organoids derived from human stem cells, high-throughput culturing, and microfluidics assays allowing for the introduction of novel approaches will improve the efficiency and quality of microbiome research. Here, we will discuss emerging technologies and their potential impact on gut microbiome studies