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No; having intestinal bacteria is not only normal and healthy, it also necessary for some normal functions of the intestine. Some examples:
Vitamin K is made by gut bacteria. At birth, since we haven't yet accumulated these bacteria, and since Mom's vitamin K doesn't cross the placenta well, newborns are invariably vitamin K-deficient. Vitamin K is necessary for proper blood clotting, so newborns have a tendency to bleed more than someone with adequate vitamin K. In the US and other countries, newborns are given a does of vitamin K to help give them what their gut bacteria will be providing them later.
The same story goes when people are given antibiotics. Antibiotics kill off not only offending bacteria, but also deplete the gut bacteria. As a result, folks on antibiotics have a tendency to be vitamin K-deficient. To remedy this, hospitalized patients are frequently given vitamin K in addition to their antibiotics.
Gut bacteria also have an important role in protecting us from other more dangerous (pathogenic) bacteria. For example, we all have a little bit of a dangerous bacteria called Clostridium difficile hanging around in our guts. In most of us, there's a balance between C. diff and the other less harmful species of bacteria in our guts. When this balance is thrown off, for example, by "gut cleansing" procedures, antibiotics, etc., C. diff and other dangerous bacteria can become overgrown and threaten the normal health of their host.
Those are a few examples of how gut bacteria (also called intestinal flora) are helpful and decidedly not dispensable in humans.
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What are 3 symbiotic relationships?
Humans and cultivated plantsHumans and domesticated animalsHumans and intestinal bacteria
Is intestinal bacteria harmful?
There are some bacteria that can cause intestinal disease. All humans have bacteria in their intestine but the bacteria is a good thing. One of the most prevalent bacteria in the human GI tract is E. coli. There are different strains of E. coli and not all of them are pathogenic. The bacteria inside the human GI tract is "normal Flora" and is beneficial to humans.
How is bacteria helpful for humans?
some bacteria can be very helpful. There is bacteria that are in human's intestines and they help in digestion. There is also friendly bacteria such as intestinal flora and micro flora which release helpful vitamins.
What is colonic bacteria?
Colonic bacteria is, quite simply, bacteria found in the colon. Humans and their intestinal bacteria usually live in a symbiotic relationship: we give bacteria a warm home and food, and they give us nutrients from eating that food.
Biotin can be synthesized by what?
By intestinal bacteria.
Does intestinal bacteria have a cell wall?
no
Are cow farts worse than humans for the environment?
Cattle and other ruminants produce much more methane in their intestinal gases than humans as the intestinal bacteria digest cellulose. (Most of the gas comes out of the cow's mouth!) Methane is a greenhouse gas and bad for the environment.
What type organisms digest cellulose in the intestinal tract of humans?
None. Humans can't digest cellulose. Bacteria in the large intestine can digest some cellulose, creating gas and vitamin K.
Can intestinal bacteria be killed with antibiotics?
yes...
What are mycobacterium?
Mycobacterium are a species of aerobic, non-motile bacteria which cause intestinal diseases in humans. The 'myco' in the name refers to the waxy compounds in their cell wall.
What is intestinal flora primarily comprised of?
You have a lot of "good" bacteria in your intestines, these are the intestinal flora.
What foods are not broken down by intestinal bacteria?
cellulose
