A microbial artificial consortium to restore the gut microbiota of elderly people. Genome sequencing and assembly

One hundred bacterial strains were isolated from healthy members of the elderly community and screened for potentially dangerous properties such as virulence and antibiotic resistance. These strains were tested for their ability to persist and multiply in an artificial gut model with the intention of eventually introducing this microbial community into the gastro-intestinal tracts of frail, elderly individuals . The goal is to improve the gut health of these individuals and also improve general health since microbial diversity has been linked to many health factors including frailty.