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Gut-level decisions in peace and war

Nature Medicine volume 11, pages 254–255 (2005)Cite this article

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.

The intestine has developed the largest border surface of the body to digest and absorb nutrients. The gut also has complex interactions with beneficial colonizing microorganisms, which reside mostly in the distal portion of the intestine. These microbes facilitate the metabolism of nutrients and the development of the mucosal immune system1.

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

Ann Thomson

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy

    Maria Rescigno

  2. Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Marcello Chieppa

Authors
  1. Maria Rescigno
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  2. Marcello Chieppa
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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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