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Gut-level decisions in peace and war

The gut contains most of the immune cells in the body, yet fights off bacteria only if they are pathogenic, leaving commensal microbes largely unscathed. Two studies examine the basis for this effect.

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Figure 1: Cell dynamics under steady-state conditions and during Salmonella typhimurium infection.

Ann Thomson

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Rescigno, M., Chieppa, M. Gut-level decisions in peace and war. Nat Med 11, 254–255 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0305-254

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