Final answer:
Microbial antagonism is the inhibition of pathogen growth by normal flora, which helps prevent infections. Disruption of this balance, often through antibiotic use, can lead to overgrowth of resistant pathogens. To maintain a healthy microbiome, responsible antibiotic use is critical.
Step-by-step explanation:
Microbial antagonism refers to the inhibitory effect that certain microorganisms in our body exert on others, thereby preventing the overgrowth of harmful pathogens. This biological phenomenon is highly beneficial for human health, acting as a natural defense mechanism against infections.
Microbial antagonism is important for maintaining the balance of the normal flora, a term that describes the collective microbial community residing in various parts of the human body such as the digestive system, skin, and mucous membranes.
Due to their ability to occupy ecological niches and consume available nutrients, our normal flora can outcompete and outgrow pathogens, thereby limiting their proliferation and potential for causing disease. For instance, Lactobacillus spp., which dominate the normal vaginal microbiota, produce lactic acid that helps maintain a low pH to prevent the growth of harmful microbes.
Similarly, within our guts, resident microbiota play a crucial role in preventing gastrointestinal infection by various strategies like competitive exclusion, producing bacteriocins, and sustaining an acidic environment that hinders the colonization by pathogens such as Clostridium difficile and Helicobacter pylori.
However, the disruption of this delicate balance, often through the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, can lead to the overgrowth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, as is the case with Clostridium difficile infections. Antibiotics can eradicate beneficial microbes, paving the way for resistant species to dominate.
To restore balance, treatments like fecal transplants have been used to reintroduce a healthy microbial community into the intestinal tract.
It is critical to understand that the overuse of hygiene products and antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance among bacteria. Antibiotic resistance is further fostered by the presence of subinhibitory concentrations of these drugs in the environment, which can be mutagenic for bacteria. Thus, maintaining microbial diversity through responsible antibiotic use and awareness of the role of the microbiome in human health is vital.