APPENDIX NOT AS USELESS AS ONCE THOUGHT

The human vermiform (“worm-like”) appendix is a 5–10 cm long and 0.5–1 cm wide pouch that extends from the cecum of the large bowel. The architecture of the human appendix is unique among mammals, and few mammals other than humans have an appendix at all. The function of the human appendix has long been a matter of debate, with the structure often considered to be a vestige of evolutionary development despite evidence to the contrary based on comparative primate anatomy.

The appendix is thought to have some immune function based on its association with substantial lymphatic tissue, although the specific nature of that putative function is unknown.

Based on...

1. Recently acquired understanding of immune-mediated biofilm formation by commensal bacteria in the mammalian gut,
2. Biofilm distribution in the large bowel,
3. Association of lymphoid tissue with the appendix,
4. Potential for biofilms to protect and support colonization by commensal bacteria, and
5. Architecture of the human bowel,

...researchers now propose that the human appendix is well suited as a “safe house” for commensal bacteria, providing support for bacterial growth and potentially facilitating re-inoculation of the colon in the event that the contents of the intestinal tract are purged following exposure to a pathogen.

In other words, the apendix is a storage house for the vital normal flora of the intestine. These stores can be called on in times of need to replace and replenish these necessary symbiotic microrganisms. Bad luck if some MD already chopped your appendix out on the basis that "you didn't need it anyway"?

Read The Research At Science Direct...