WikiBiomeThe human microbiome encyclopediaRanked matches across titles, topics, categories, and article introductions.
A genus of spirochete bacteria transmitted by Ixodes ticks, best known as the causative agent of Lyme disease -- the most common tick-borne illness in the Northern Hemisphere. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato comprises approximately 20 genospecies, with B. burgdorferi se…
Coronary artery disease (CAD) -- the progressive narrowing of coronary arteries by atherosclerotic plaque -- is the single leading cause of death globally, responsible for approximately 9 million deaths annually. CAD encompasses stable angina, unstable angina, and myoca…
arsenic (As) is unique among dietary heavy metals because it exists in two fundamentally different forms with dramatically different toxicities: inorganic arsenic (iAs, the dangerous form) and organic arsenic (arsenobetaine, arsenosugars — largely non-toxic). Understand…
Endothelial dysfunction is the impairment of the vascular endothelium's ability to produce nitric oxide (NO), regulate vascular tone, and prevent thrombosis. It is the earliest detectable stage of atherosclerosis and the mechanistic link between gut dysbiosis, systemic …
Erectile dysfunction (ED) affects 30-50% of men aged 40-70 Feldman et al. 1994, with prevalence increasing with age. Conventionally understood as a vascular and/or neurogenic disorder, ED is now recognized as a condition with a significant gut microbiome component -- th…
The gut-penis axis is an emerging concept describing the systemic pathway by which gut microbiome dysbiosis impairs erectile function through endothelial nitric oxide (NO) suppression and chronic inflammation. Though less established than the gut-brain or gut-heart axes…
Methylation is the addition of a methyl group (-CH₃) to DNA, histones, proteins, or small molecules. DNA methylation (at CpG sites) is the primary epigenetic mechanism silencing gene expression, and it requires the methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), which depends…
Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous signaling molecule with roles spanning vasodilation, immune defense, neurotransmission, and gut barrier maintenance. In the microbiome context, NO sits at the intersection of host physiology and microbial metabolism — gut bacteria both pro…
Small, high-affinity iron-chelating molecules secreted by bacteria and fungi to scavenge ferric iron (Fe3+) from the environment. Siderophore competition is a fundamental ecological force in the gut microbiome: organisms with superior iron acquisition systems gain a dec…