According to a study done by scientists of the Genetics and Genome Biology Department at the University of Toronto (Science Daily, 2013), a direct relationship exists between normal gut microbe composition and preventing autoimmune diseases. Female mice are at a much higher risk of autoimmune (type 1) diabetes than male mice - 85% of females develop autoimmune diabetes due to genetic risk factors (Science Daily, 2013). However, when scientists exposed the females to normal gut bacteria from the male mice, they discovered that they were strongly protected against the disease - only 25% of the females developed it after they were given normal male gut microbes early in life (Science Daily, 2013). "Our findings suggest potential strategies for using normal gut bacteria to block progression of insulin-dependent diabetes in kids who have high genetic risk," says principal investigator Dr. Jayne Danska, a Senior Scientist and Professor in Genetics & Genome Biology and Immunology at the University of Toronto (Science Daily, …show more content…
Bacteria can do anything from moisturize skin, to being the cause for autoimmune diseases. Research on the topic has proven that there is, in fact, a direct correlation between gut microbes and autoimmune disease. These findings could be substantial in the future career outlook of microbiologists and many other health professionals in the field, as changes in the common knowledge of bacteria will affect countless aspects of any profession in the medical field. Bacteria always has and always will be a major contribution to careers in health