It has been discovered that this type of cell is found in humans and is more numerous in humans than there are human cells themselves. Most of these are beneficial and aid in processes such as digestion and disease fighting, although some of them can be pathogenic. Which of these types of cells is described here?

Question

shrutipande9 · Answer

hi! welcome to openstudy! i think according to the description..it points to the gut microflora....we have millions of microroganisms in our gut which help us in digestion and disease fighting....not all microbes are useful some can be pathogenic.....

kayne · Answer

Welcome to OS @johnbridge! @shrutipande is right! The microbial cells outnumber the human cells in the human body. "The human body contains trillions of microorganisms — outnumbering human cells by 10 to 1. Because of their small size, however, microorganisms make up only about 1 to 3 percent of the body's mass (in a 200-pound adult, that’s 2 to 6 pounds of bacteria), but play a vital role in human health." ~ NIH [ http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jun2012/nhgri-13.htm ]