To the colonising bacterium, the human body represents a number of ecological niches, some of which it could be argued are as hostile to the coloniser as even the most extreme of ex vivo environments; by the activities of the immune system, these living host niches are actively dedicated to the prevention of their colonisation. Paradoxically, the normal human microbiota of each human extends in estimated total number to approximately 1014 per human. This thesis is a compilation of published work that focuses on two anaerobic bacteria of the normal human microbiota: Bacteroides fragilis predominantly found in the large intestine; and Propionibacterium acnes predominantly found in the skin microbiota. When given the opportunity these bacteria can cross the divide between commensal and pathogen and cause infection. The papers included in this thesis address aspects of the characteristics of these bacteria that may relate to virulence and the association of these bacteria with clinical infection.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:726404 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Patrick, Sheila |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/25062 |
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