Biology 501 - Human Microbiome/Health&Dis

Research into the microbiome?the indigenous microbial communities and the host environment that they inhabit?has changed our views of the roles played by microbes in human health and disease. Perhaps the most radical change is the realization that most of the microbes that inhabit our body supply crucial ecosystem services that benefit the entire host-microbe system. These services include the production of important resources, bioconversion of nutrients, and protection against pathogenic microbes. Disease can result from a loss of these beneficial functions or the introduction of maladaptive functions by invading microbes. This course will provide an introduction to the microbiome, identify the essential players, explore how they are acquired and discuss their roles in human health. We will also employ a case study approach to investigate examples of our growing knowledge of how disruptions in the microbiome can impact numerous aspects of human health, ranging from autoimmune diseases and obesity to Parkinson?s disease and depression.

This course is open to BIOLOGY majors only. BIOLOGY 151, 152, 153