Humans evolved in the presence of numerous microbial communities that preceded the appearance of mammals on planet Earth. The role of these microbial communities in our evolution is a matter of considerable interest. Indeed, comparative studies with germfree and conventional animals have established that the intestinal microflora is essential for the development and function of the mucosal immu...

background: normal bacterial flora of the conjunctiva, which inhibits growth of opportunistic organisms, has an important role in the prevention of ocular infections. if resident flora is inhibited by disease or long-term application of antibiotics, opportunistic pathogens overgrow, leading to disease. objectives: the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ophthalmic chloramphenico...

Because of the anatomical position and its unique vascular system, the liver is susceptible to the exposure to the microbial products from the gut. Although large amount of microbes colonize in the gut, translocation of the microbes or microbial products into the liver and systemic circulation is prevented by gut epithelial barrier function and cleansing and detoxifying functions of the liver i...

Proteolytic cleavage of hemagglutinin is required for cell entry by receptor-mediated endocytosis and plays a key role in pathogenicity of the influenza virus. Despite several studies describing relationships between bacterial proteases and influenza A viral activation in mammals, very little is known about the role of the normal bacterial flora of birds on hemagglutinin activation. We examined...