Nick Smith

Citation

Thesis Title
Mathematical modelling of microbial cross-feeding on hydrogen in the human colon

Read article at Massey Research Online:

The human colonic microbiome (the population of microbes that inhabit the lower gut) has wide ranging influences on human health and well-being. Three microbial subgroups that cross-feed on hydrogen produced by other microbes have been linked to various host health outcomes. Mr Smith constructed mathematical models for the growth and metabolism of these subgroups to better understand their population dynamics in the colon, which would be difficult to study experimentally. Monoculture, co-culture, and community models were developed. These models can accurately replicate experimental data and make predictions for scenarios not yet studied experimentally. The conclusions of the modelling work gave new insight into hydrogen cross-feeding in the colon, with implications for our understanding of the ecology of the microbiome and its influences on the host.

Supervisors
Professor Warren McNabb
Dr Paul Shorten
Dr Nicole Roy
Dr Eric Altermann