Do you know that a healthy gut could help prevent deadly infections in critically ill people? According to a recent study by the University of Calgary, the gut microbiota and systemic immunity work together as a dynamic “metasystem.” When gut microbes and immune systems go wrong, it’s associated with significantly increased rates of hospital-acquired infections. So, instead of just targeting bad bacteria in isolation or the immune system in isolation, a more holistic view of how our body’s natural defense system functions is needed. About 20-50% of all critically ill patients contract potentially deadly infections during their stay in the intensive care unit, which is not good news.
However, the researchers plan to launch a new clinical trial based on a precision medicine approach that utilizes multiple different bacteria engineered to specifically target the bacteria identified in the study. Who knows, a healthy gut could be the key to fight deadly infections!
GIbiome 