If I was the head of a funding agency (like the National Institute of Health) in which my job is to look at proposals for research projects and decide what projects to award funding to, the research that I would be most excited about fundings as it related to learning more about microbial influences on human health is Helicobacter Pylori (H.pylori) effects. As I learned from the first few weeks of this term about H.pylori and its effects on human health due to diseases such as gastritis, atherosclerotic disease, and development of gastric cancer as well. It led me to H.pylori eradication to protect human from these diseases above. However, when I worked on my final paper, I found the controversial information about H.pylori in Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), allergy, and asthma. Also, in the article “What are the consequences of the disappearing human microbiota?”, the authors talked about the disappearance of H.pylori which is salutary for human in order to prevent gastric cancer, but the oesophageal reflux, Barrett’s esophagus and adenocarcinoma increase. I raised a question whether people should have H.pylori eradication for all H.pylori infections cases and what conditions people should or should not have H.pylori eradication.
In the project, we are likely to learn how H.pylori affects human health related to Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), allergy, and asthma. I would think that the project will provide results which H.pylori infectious patients who have or do not have increasing effects of Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), allergy, or asthma after having H.pylori eradication. Also, what are differences in genomes or other factors which contributes to increasing of these diseases in the different group of patients who can be separated by ages, living conditions, and geography? The findings from the project which we likely to learn to play important role in future healthcare decisions because people will know which H.pylori infectious cases they should have H.pylori eradication and which one is not so as to prevent from gastric cancers. Also, for people who have Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), allergy, or asthma may have new treatments by using H.pylori bacteria. People can find categories for H.pylori infectious patients related to H.pylori eradication. Besides, the usage of antibiotic to stop and kill H.pylori would have the new approach to use in the right way.
Source: Blaser, M. J., & Falkow, S. 2009. What are the consequences of the disappearing human microbiota?. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 7(12), 887-894.
Thanks for the post.