학술논문

Consequences of colonialism: A microbial perspective to contemporary Indigenous health.
Document Type
Article
Source
American Journal of Physical Anthropology. Oct2018, Vol. 167 Issue 2, p423-437. 15p.
Subject
*INDIGENOUS peoples
*HUMAN microbiota
*MICROBIAL ecology
*PUBLIC health
*ECOSYSTEM health
Language
ISSN
0002-9483
Abstract
Nearly all Indigenous populations today suffer from worse health than their non‐Indigenous counterparts, and despite interventions against known factors, this health “gap” has not improved. The human microbiome—the beneficial, diverse microbial communities that live on and within the human body—is a crucial component in developing and maintaining normal physiological health. Disrupting this ecosystem has repercussions for microbial functionality, and thus, human health. In this article, we propose that modern‐day Indigenous population health may suffer from disrupted microbial ecosystems as a consequence of historical colonialism. Colonialism may have interrupted the established relationships between the environment, traditional lifeways, and microbiomes, altering the Indigenous microbiome with detrimental health consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]