The mysterious microbiome

The microbiome is a collection of all microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and their genes, that naturally live within patients, and veterinary professionals.¹ Although research is being done to learn more about the microbiome, it is known to have an effect on wellness and health. So what does that mean for patients in the veterinary clinic?

During this interview with dvm360®, Nicola A. Lakeman, MSc, BSc, (Hons), RVN, CertVNECC, CertSAN, VTS (Nutrition), explains that although we are still learning what exactly is living within the microbiome, some of what we do know the microbiome is capable of.

Nicola A. Lakeman, MSc, BSc, (Hons), RVN, CertVNECC, CertSAN, VTS (Nutrition): The biome helps with such a vast array of different roles, and we just don't know all of it yet, because we don't even know half the populations that are within our biome. But our biome does lots of roles, and primarily that, the main one that springs to mind, at the top [of my head] is fermentation of carbohydrates into short chain fatty acids. And those short chain fatty acids, they're an energy source, but they also alter the pH.

Reference

1. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Microbiome. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Published July 7, 2023. Accessed June 13, 2024. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/science/microbiome#:~:text=Introduction