They make up less than one-hundredth of 1 percent of the microbes that live in the colon, but the bacteria and archaea that sop up hydrogen in the gut are fundamental to colon health. In a new study, researchers take a first look at these “hydrogenotrophic” microbes, mapping where they live and how abundant they are in different parts of the lower intestine. The findings are reported in the International Society for Microbial Ecology Journal. This is the first study to sample these – or any other – microbes at specific locales in the colon, said University of Illinois animal sciences and Institute for Genomic Biology professor Rex Gaskins, who led the research with Carle Foundation gastroenterologist Dr. Eugene Greenberg.
