Recently there has been increasing interest and research into symbiotic bacteria present in humans and human gut. I'm aware of two new discoveries:
- humans are surrounded by a unique cloud of bacteria, similar to fingerprint, useful in forensics
- human brain and cognition could be influenced by gut bacteria that produces up to 90% of serotonin and dopamine in the human body (not sure how, vagus nerve is implicated)
I've also heard that mothers pass a lot of beneficial bacteria to children during childbirth to jump start intestinal flora. Apparently this happens as the baby travels through the birth canal.
This makes me ask - do adult humans share/ pass along symbiotic or beneficial bacteria or other micro organisms?
I'm aware of viruses and diseases that can be passed via blood or be transmitted sexually, but does anything beneficial get transmitted this way?