Question

Which of the following statements accurately describes the role that normal flora play with regards to human disease and health? To be marked correct, you'll need to select all applicable statements, as there may be more than one correct answer.

- Normal flora may impact metabolism, obesity, and the development of certain diseases such as diabetes
- Normal flora modulate immune responses
- Normal flora assist with food digestion and provide essential vitamins and nutrients for the host
- Normal flora promote disease development through synergistic interactions with pathogenic microorganisms

Answer 1

Normal flora influences human health by impacting metabolism, modulating immune responses, assisting in digestion, and providing vitamins and nutrients, but under certain circumstances, they can also participate in disease development.

Step-by-step explanation:

The role that normal flora plays with regards to human disease and health is multifaceted. First, normal flora may impact metabolism, obesity, and the development of diseases such as diabetes, as they are involved in the metabolism of food molecules that humans can't break down on their own. Second, these microorganisms modulate immune responses, often protecting the host from pathogenic microorganisms by outcompeting them for resources or by stimulating the immune system. Third, normal flora assist with food digestion and contribute to the synthesis of essential vitamins and nutrients for the host. Lastly, although normal flora primarily have beneficial roles, they can sometimes promote disease development through synergistic interactions with pathogenic microorganisms, an event known as bacterial synergism, which can happen when the balance of the microbial community is disrupted, for instance, by antibiotics.