7. Your friend José, who\'s an art major, learned a startling fact: that our low

Question

7. Your friend José, who's an art major, learned a startling fact: that our lower intestines are bursting with microbes; containing a "million's million" colony forming units per milliliter (or 1012 cfu/ml). As a microbiologist, what would you tell your alarmed friend? A) That this value is an underestimate of the true number of microbes in our lower intestine. B) That this value is an overestimate of the true number of microbes in our lower intestine C That this value is a fairly accurate estimate of the true number of microbes in our lower intestine. D) That although surprising, that the number of microbes on the surface of our skin is even higher

Explanation / Answer

Option C is the correct answer.

Lower part of GI tract includes jejunum and ileum of small intestine and the large intestine. In the large intestine (caecum, colon and rectum), the microbial count is almost 1010-1012 cfu/ml, hence the statement that lower intestines contain a million's million colony forming units per milimeter, is a fairly accurate estimate of the true number of microbes in our lower intestine.

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