Abstract
The human gastrointestinal tract is home to immense and complex populations of microorganisms. Using recent technical innovations, the diversity present in this human body habitat is now being analyzed in detail. This review focuses on the microbial ecology of the gut in inflammatory bowel diseases and on how recent studies provide an impetus for using carefully designed, comparative metagenomic approaches to delve into the structure and activities of the gut microbial community and its interrelationship with the immune system.
Publication types
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Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
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Review
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Bacteria / genetics
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Bacteria / immunology
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Bacteria / isolation & purification*
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Biodiversity
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Host-Pathogen Interactions*
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Humans
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Immunoglobulin A / immunology
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Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / immunology*
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Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / microbiology*
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Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / therapy
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Intestinal Mucosa / immunology
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Intestinal Mucosa / microbiology
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Intestinal Mucosa / physiopathology
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Mice
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Probiotics / administration & dosage