Gastric acidity is likely a key factor shaping the diversity and composition of microbial communities found in the vertebrate gut. We conducted a systematic review to test the hypothesis that a key role of the vertebrate stomach is to maintain the gut microbial community by filtering out novel microbial taxa before they pass into the intestines. We propose that species feeding either on carrion or on organisms that are close phylogenetic relatives should require the most restrictive filter (measured as high stomach acidity) as protection from foreign microbes. Conversely, species feeding on a lower trophic level or on food that is distantly related to them (e.g. herbivores) should require the least restrictive filter, as the risk of pathogen exposure is lower. Comparisons of stomach acidity across trophic groups in mammal and bird taxa show that scavengers and carnivores have significantly higher stomach acidities compared to herbivores or carnivores feeding on phylogenetically distant prey such as insects or fish. In addition, we find when stomach acidity varies within species either naturally (with age) or in treatments such as bariatric surgery, the effects on gut bacterial pathogens and communities are in line with our hypothesis that the stomach acts as an ecological filter. Together these results highlight the importance of including measurements of gastric pH when investigating gut microbial dynamics within and across species.
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J Hazard Mater
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Department of Biomaterials, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama 7008558, Japan. Electronic address:
Bone-eating (also known as osteophagia), found in wild animals, is primarily recognized as a means to supplement phosphorus and calcium intake. Herein, we describe a novel function of bone-eating in detoxifying heavy metal ions through the dissolution and co-precipitation of bone minerals as they travel through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In this study, cadmium (Cd), a heavy metal ion, served as a toxic model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Oral Microbiol
January 2025
Shenzhen Stomatology Hospital (Pingshan), Southern Medical University, Shenzhen City, Guangdong, China.
Background And Objective: Oral bacteria can translocate to the intestine, and their colonization efficiency is influenced by the gastrointestinal tract pH. Understanding how oral bacteria resist acidic environments is crucial for elucidating their role in gut health and disease.
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J Ethnopharmacol
January 2025
Drug Discovery and Development Division, Patanjali Research Foundation, Haridwar, 249 405, Uttarakhand, India; Special Centre for Systems Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110 067, India. Electronic address:
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J Nanobiotechnology
January 2025
School of First Clinical Medical, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China.
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFChin J Integr Med
January 2025
Department of Emergency, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Objective: To evaluate the effect and safety of Chinese medicine (CM) Fuzheng Huazhuo Decoction (FHD) in treating patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who persistently tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
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