Enterotypes and the Gut Microbiome: What Are They & What Do They Do?

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Professor Harry Flint is a world leader in gut microbiome science and Professor Emeritus at the Rowett Institute at the University of Aberdeen. He's known for his book, "Why Gut Microbes Matter" and has two species of gut bacteria named after him: 'HarryFlintia' and 'Flintibacter'.

As part of a research collaboration, Professor Flint helped to identify a combination of six naturally occurring bacteria that work to eradicate a highly contagious form of Clostridium difficile (C. diff). The results of this research illustrated the effectiveness of utilising a mix of bacteria naturally found in the gut to displace C. diff and supershedder microbiota. The research helped develop a standardised mixture treatment for FMT.

Professor Flint began studying ecology at university before switching to genetics, completing his PhD in this field. He then worked as a lecturer for 6 years and then came back to Edinburgh to start a training fellowship to learn molecular biology in 1982. His career began at the Rowett Institute in 1985, with a focus on the rumen of animals due to the complexity of the microbiology of that system of digestion.

He joins James in this episode of Inside Matters, the Gut Health Podcast, to chat about his career as he nears retirement, and the ground-breaking research into the complex universe of the gut microbiome. They cover a variety of topics including the importance of the digestive system of rumens, symbiosis in living organisms and dive into the different levels founds in the gut's microbiome.