James P. Crowley: Could the Microbiome Protect Us From Severe EBV Infection?

James P. Crowley, Professor of Medicine emeritus at Brown University, shared Donna Morelli‘s post on LinkedIn:

“What happened when a child has his microbiome deliberately eradicated to prevent infections?

David Vetter was known as the ‘boy in the bubble,’ lived in a specially designed sterile plastic isolator that kept him in germ-free surroundings.

He was born with a severe genetic abnormality called SCID where fatal infections might be caused by the normal bacteria that reside in our guts: now called the microbiome.

All his food was sterilized as were his water and clothing. The air he breathed was germ free!

Doctors at Texas Children’s Hospital placed David inside a protected plastic enclosure right after his birth in 1971 to shield him from his normal bacteria and viruses.

He unfortunately died of a virulent mononucleosis caused by an EB virus that had lain dormant in the DNA of his bone marrow transplant donor. He was only age 12.

Maybe our microbiomes may offer us some form of resistance from more severe forms of EB viral infections as teenagers!

We virtually are all usually get exposed to EB virus it 21 because it’s transmitted by kissing. It’s called ‘the kissing disease’.”

Donna Morelli, Data Analyst / Adult Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery at Boston Medical Center Corporation, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“How a Breath Test Could Help Decode the Gut Microbiome. Ingestible probes translate microbiome activity into breath biomarkers, opening new possibilities for early disease detection and development of microbiome-based therapies. Georgia Tech. 18 Aug. 2026

Excerpt: The gut microbiome is widely known as an invisible community of microbes carrying out essential work deep within the body.

For Leslie Chan, assistant professor, in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, understanding microbe activity unlocks potential to transform diagnosing disease, personalizing treatments, and reducing side effects of life-saving therapies.

Chan and her research team developed a novel class of ingestible probes that can measure microbiome activity through a simple breath test.

The technology, described in Science Advances (enc), uses probes made from a sugar molecule linked to a gaseous reporter molecule. After probes are swallowed and reach the large intestine, enzymes produced by gut microbes break them apart, releasing gaseous reporter molecules that appear in the breath for measurement.

A noninvasive way to monitor specific microbial activities occurring deep within the gastrointestinal tract.

‘We have sequencing tools for microbial genes, but we have not had something to measure the activity of microbial gene products once they are produced and undergo activity-regulating modifications,’ Chan explained.

Note: Current microbiome studies largely rely on genetic sequencing, which reveals the microbial genes. Sequencing alone cannot reveal whether the genes are active or the biological functions performed. Chan’s probes measure enzyme activity, providing a snap-shot of the microbiome in real-time.

Her research centers on a microbial enzyme β-glucuronidase, or GUS, known to reactivate certain drugs deactivated and detoxified by the liver. One notable example is irinotecan, a chemotherapy used to treat cancer.

Once the deactivated drug reaches the intestine, GUS can reactivate it, causing damage to the gastrointestinal lining and contributing to severe side effects, forcing physicians to reduce drug dosing or stop treatment altogether.

Researchers have long viewed GUS as an attractive drug target, measuring its activity inside the body remained challenging. ‘Individuals with very high GUS levels, will probably have higher GI toxicity from this drug compared to someone with lower levels,’ Chan said. ‘We can assess GUS levels to evaluate risk for GI toxicity and decide whether or not there is need to inhibit those activities with new GUS inhibitor drugs.’

Chan describes the new probe platform technology as exciting, akin to molecular Legos. By swapping different sugar molecules and gaseous reporters, her team can design probes that detect a wide range of enzyme activities associated with different diseases..”

Other posts featuring James P. Crowley on Hemostasis Today.