The roles of mucus-associated bacteria in inflammatory bowel disease.
The etiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is currently unknown. Although there is convincing evidence supporting a critical role for micro-organisms in the pathogenesis of IBD, the specific organisms involved remain undetermined. Mucus-associated bacteria have recently been considered as likely candidates for involvement in IBD; indeed several mucus-associated bacteria species have been shown to induce IBD-like conditions in animal models, and some of these bacteria have been detected in human intestinal tissues. Further studies are required to investigate the possible role of mucus-associated bacteria in human IBD.
Zhang
Li
L
The School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. L.Zhang@unsw.edu.au
Mitchell
Hazel
H
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016998:Helicobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D009093:Mucus / Q000382:microbiology*