Gut microbiota-host interactions: Next generation sequencing meets culturing

Speaker: Dr. habil. Thomas Clavel, Technical University of Munich

Host: Professor Karsten Kristiansen, Section for Cell Biology and Physiology

Abstract
The communities of microorganisms in the human intestine are referred to as the gut microbiota. They carry out important functions such as the protection against pathogenic strains and the metabolism of indigestible food components. Hence, interactions between the diet, the intestinal microbiota, and the host play a substantial role in shaping human physiology and in the development of certain chronic diseases. The complex communities of microorganisms in the intestine of mammals can be studied by means of culture or high-throughput molecular methods. In this talk, I will present some of our recent findings in the field of microbial ecology of the mammalian gut using both types of approaches, highlighting how complementary they can be.