The gut microbiota and inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease is the result of an inappropriate immune response to environmental factors in a genetically susceptible host. The intestinal microbiota has been considered one of the key environmental factors in this disease process, and early influences on the structure of the intestine's bacterial communities may contribute to a dysbiotic state. The complicated relationship between dysbiosis and the developing host immune system, including the innate and adaptive immune systems as well as the intestinal epithelial interface, can have profound effects on the health and disease of the host. Therapies targeted at the gut microbiota continue to be investigated as potential interventions for inflammatory bowel disease.