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Bacteria, gut organisms linked to health, autism, schizophrenia, depression, diabetes, allergies and obesity By Xavier La Canna Updated?24 Oct 2014, 7:37pmFri 24 Oct 2014, 7:37pm PHOTO:?Scientists are just starting to unlock the secrets of human gut microbiota and how they influence our behaviour.(Used with permission of Charles Mackay) MAP:?The University of Sydney 2006 They may have the power to alter your thoughts, your behaviour, how well you feel or influence why you cant shed those unwanted kilos. They outnumber us 100 trillion to one and they know you intimately. The number of bacteria and other organisms in the human gut, known collectively as microbiota, are thought to be approximately 10 times more numerous than the entire number of cells in the body and scientists are only just starting to unlock the secrets of how they affect us. As the world of gut bacteria and other microscopic organisms in our bodies begins to be explored it turns out the organisms are weirder than anyone thought possible. They have been described as an organ of the body in their own right, and could hold the key to preventing or treating obesity, asthma, diabetes, autism or schizophrenia. Some bacterias impact is undisputed. Escheria coli, better known as E.coli, is known to cause food poisoning and is largely transmitted when people inadvertently swallow faeces that contain it. But the jury is still out for how other microbiota effect people. While bacteria have evolved to live in humans, the human body has also evolved to cater to the bacteria and other organisms living within us. In some cases it almost seems that humans appear to be willing zombies, catering to the whims of the visitors in our intestines. Mice unafraid of cats In animal studies the evidence is intriguing. If mice are treated with an intestinal parasite called toxoplasma the rodents lose their fear of cats. Toxoplasma needs to reproduce inside the guts of felines, and these tiny organisms somehow can alter the mic