Opportunistic Pathogens: Organism that causes disease

The human body is an open harbor, which hosts an incredible amount of microorganisms. Some of them are friendly explorers, while others can be aggressive invaders.

Anyway, they all share one thing in common – a search for opportunities. In the normal healthy body, a vast majority of human bacteria are localized at certain areas, within the gastrointestinal tract and on a surface of the skin. Host body has a multitude of defensive mechanisms to keep the bacteria in a safe place and control their proliferation. 

Nevertheless, some bacteria are using every slightest opportunity to break through this defence and to inflict their hidden blow to the vital systems of the host body. These bacteria are called Opportunistic Pathogens, and they are lurking in silence, just spy out for a moment when the balance of beneficial bacteria will be broken. Right here, the pathogens come to light and start growing to alarming proportions in order to overcome the body’s defensive redoubts to get out of their usual habitat and seep into the internal organs.

Unfortunately, in contrast to the gastrointestinal tract and your skin, internal organs permanently exist in relatively isolated and sterile conditions, respectively, they are not prepared to withstand this assault of the bacterial invaders, which are beginning to infect healthy cells without an adequate resistance. Thereby, in a gradual manner, opportunistic pathogens colonize the body, changing it from within and weakening health dramatically.

The most common cause that provokes pathogens’ aggressive behavior is a breach in commensal bacteria balance due to the poor diet, use of antibiotics, alcohol, oral contraceptives, and infection that can make the host body immune-compromised to give up bacterial influence. 

At the same time, Opportunistic Bacteria may not cause any symptoms or illness in the individuals, who carry a sufficient set of various beneficial bacteria in their guts, enough to suppress pathogens.

In Chen Ben Asher Wellness Clinic, you will get relevant tests to determine what type of bacteria dominate your guts and is there any reason to worry about a potential threat to your health. The lab tests break down each gut bacteria into main categories: Bacterial Pathogens, H. pylori, Normal Bacterial Flora, Opportunistic Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi/Yeast. Now, in order to better understand how pathogens can make the way to your organs and do much harm to the health, we will talk about techniques of colonization that bacteria use to win more and more vulnerable areas of your body.

Who plays for us in defence?

How do you think, what is the biggest body area that is coming into contact with the bacteria, whether beneficial or harmful types? Probably, an obvious answer is on the surface, right? That is to say, on the skin. Well … it was close, still options? Ok, the answer is not so far away, actually, it’s right inside you. The respiratory, digestive and urogenital mucosa in total scale exceeds skin surface up to 200 times. And this is where the most frequent and close contact with the bacterial world appears to be a battlefield for your in-gut dominance. 

In this confrontation, our body builds up as many as three lines of defence: 

• epithelium – the external protective layer

• lamina propria – loose connective tissue

• smooth muscles – thin sublayer

These three protective layers represent the frontline barrier are preventing the invasion of bacteria, both beneficial and harmful. In addition, exactly beneficial bacteria constitute an extra layer that keeps opportunistic bacteria from the immediate effect on epithelial tissue. At the moment, when this extra bacterial layer is weakened, and the gap emerges, pathogens exert their opportunistic nature and make their way to the actual human tissues. Even after this first touch, the host body begins to experience syndromes such as indigestion, fatigue, appetite disorders, weight control challenges. 

How could Opportunistic Bacteria sneak into the other organs?

Further progress of bacteria through other three defensive layers can be fraught with much more complex syndromes and dangerous diseases. When opportunistic pathogens have overcome commensal bacteria layer, they gradually migrate across the epithelium surface in search of the cells responsible for the absorption of substances in the blood. Through interaction with these cells, pathogens pass epithelium and then it could be two general scenarios.

The first one, opportunistic bacteria adapt to the environment and stay in the middle layers, conducting an intracellular lifestyle. In this case, bacteria conquer other cells of the protective layer, which is responsible for the immune system, thus, weakening overall immunity of the host body. The second option, opportunistic bacteria move further and dive into the bloodstream that spreading them throughout the body.

If bacteria use their opportunity, so why I shouldn’t?

As we can see, the impact of bacteria on our bodies may discourage. But there are a number of measures to avoid the risk and shut down a window of opportunity right in front of bacterial invasion. The first and foremost, you need to test your bacterial flora. Only a timely identification of in-gut bacterial balance and correlation between different bacteria types can show a potential threat of the excessive growth of pathogens population. The most relevant and proven lab tests include DNA Analysis, Stool Analysis, Food Sensitivity Delayed Test and Organic Acid Test. 

After determination of your bacterial consistency, it is time to take a bold step towards a healthier life where each detail will contribute to your good. Besides testing, Chen Ben Asher Wellness Clinic offers professional assistance in guiding you along the way of dietary support with supplements and functional approach to normalize and improve your bacterial flora. 

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As the take-home message, a few simple words worth repeating yourself every day. You are in charge of your health. No one would deal it until you don’t take up the matter. Bacteria never miss an opportunity to win back a little more territory within your body, so why do not you take advantage of your opportunities? You deal with it, we heal it, that how it works.

Reference:

How bacterial pathogens colonize their hosts and invade deeper tissues. Accessed from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1286457915000179

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MEET CHEN BEN ASHER 

Chen is a Functional Nutrition expert consultant,  leading authority on weight management, women’s health and gluten sensitivity. She is a clinician, public speaker, educator and Amazon Best Seller author of “What If Gluten Free Is Not Enough – The Balanced Diet”.

Chen uses Functional Nutrition to help you find answers to the root causes of your illness and address the biochemical imbalances that may trigger your health and weight. She uses cutting edge lab testing and design the nutritional program to your specific needs as an individual. Food, supplements, lifestyle changes will have integrated to bring balance

If you are looking for personalized nutritional support, we highly recommended contacting Mor’s Nutrition & More Wellness Center in Cupertino, California today.

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