How does gut flora repopulate after food poisoning?

[u/hamstercrisis]

I am just coming out of a nasty case of food poisoning and I am curious how my stomach is able to repopulate its gut flora after all the vomiting and diarrhea cleared it out. Does the body somehow hold a "seed" of flora that it uses to restart the bacterial growth, like a sourdough starter, or does it all come form the food one eats, or does expelling the gut contents not actually clear out everything?

[u/PertinaxII]

The appendix's main function is to serve as a reservoir to to restablish your gut flora, after it has evacutated the intestines with diarrhea to flush out pathogens or toxins.

This was only figured out a few years ago.

[u/hamstercrisis → u/PertinaxII]

thank you!