title: The small bowel microbiota.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although many studies of the microbiota have been specific to the colonic or faecal microbiota, several studies are relevant to or directly address the small bowel microbiota in health and disease. A selection of recent landmark findings is addressed here.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The complexity of host-microbe interactions is confirmed by unfolding evidence for signalling networks including microbe-macrophage-neuronal communication and several examples of diet-microbe-host metabolic exchanges. The contribution of the microbiota to several disorders, including celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease, is increasingly evident and the importance of drug-bug interactions has been clarified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite difficulty accessing the small bowel microbiota, there is growing evidence for its role in development, homeostasis and a diversity of diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland *Drs Carthage Moran and Donal Sheehan contributed equally to the writing of this article.
authors.forename: Carthage
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moran
authors.forename: Donal
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sheehan
authors.forename: Fergus
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shanahan
mesh_terms: D006706:Homeostasis / Q000276:immunology*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D064307:Microbiota / Q000276:immunology*