List of behaviors that could change a gut microbial community:
Drinking bleach: would vastly reduce the number of microbes present in the gut community. This could result in a reduction in the number of microbes responsible for: maintaining the structural integrity of gut tissues, fighting off pathogenic organisms, or aiding in digestion; which would ultimately lead to a decline in health. Additionally, any surviving bacteria may be able to grow out of control due to the vastly reduced competition, resulting in disbiosis. (PS This is all assuming that drinking bleach didn’t kill you in the first place.)
Eating sugar-laden foods: The sudden bump in glucose levels would likely provide the gut bacteria with an increased food supply. An increase in local resources could cause a population boom throughout the microbial community due to the lessened stresses of competition. This increase in population may cause a dramatic change in microbe proportions, resulting in disbiosis and possible pathogenic effects. As a side note, the subsequent die-off of microbes after a reduction in glucose presence may have toxic effects on the human host.
Taking a probiotic supplement: Could increase the diversity of microorganisms present in an individual’s gut. According to lecture, this increase in microbiota diversity can result in a more stable and resilient microbial community, capable of resisting disbiosis and preventing negative effects on the human body and its health.
Walking around licking every surface in sight: Through oral contact with a wide array of microbial communities, the micro-biome of the gut would likely blossom with new species and great diversity. Unfortunately, indiscriminately loading on new bacterial species makes it incredibly likely that there will be conflict between organisms in the gut, and even more likely that one of the organisms consumed would be pathogenic, subsequently hurting the health of the individual.
