Microbiomes and Health of the Orang Asli

There have been much interest in the interaction between the humans and the community of bacteria living within and on the human body, collectively known as the human microbiome. This thesis characterized the saliva and gut microbiomes of the indigenous people, Orang Asli, in Malaysia. Furthermore, the intestinal carriage of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, ESBL and VRE, and gut resistome of the Jehai hunter-gatherer community were explored. Infection rates of Helicobacter pylori among the Orang Asli communities were also investigated.