Commensal gut bacteria benefit their host in many ways, for instance by aiding digestion and producing vitamins. In a new study in The EMBO Journal, Jones et al (2013) report that commensal bacteria can also promote intestinal epithelial renewal in both flies and mice. Interestingly, among commensals this effect is most specific to Lactobacilli, the friendly bacteria we use to produce cheese an...

Advancements in science and medicine, as well as improved living standards, have led to a steady increase in life expectancy, and subsequently a rise in the elderly population. The intestinal microbiota is important for maintenance of host health, providing energy, nutrients and protection against invading organisms. Although the colonic microbiota is relatively stable throughout adult life, ag...

Abundant data have incriminated intestinal bacteria in the initiation and amplification stages of inflammatory bowel diseases. However, the precise role of intestinal bacteria remains elusive. One theory has suggested a breakdown in the balance between putative species of "protective" versus "harmful" intestinal bacteria--this concept has been termed "dysbiosis". Arguments in support of this co...

Specific members of the intestinal microbiota dramatically affect inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in mice. In humans, however, identifying bacteria that preferentially affect disease susceptibility and severity remains a major challenge. Here, we used flow-cytometry-based bacterial cell sorting and 16S sequencing to characterize taxa-specific coating of the intestinal microbiota with immunoglo...

The intestinal bacteria community structure and diversity of the Oriental armyworm, Mythimna separata (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), was studied by analysis of a 16S rDNA clone library, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis,and culture-dependent techniques. The 16S rDNA clone library revealed a bacterial community diversity comprising Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Gracilicute...

production of proinflammatory cytokines [6, 7] . In addition, the production of antimicrobial bacteriocins can be decreased [8] . The intestinal barrier is a functional unit including the epithelial cells, mucus and different secreted substances such as defensins, lysozymes and immunoglobulins (e.g. IgA). These components are important to control the microbial composition in the gut. IgA can bi...

Bacteria causing infections in hospitalized patients are increasingly antibiotic resistant. Classical infection control practices are only partially effective at preventing spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria within hospitals. Because the density of intestinal colonization by the highly antibiotic-resistant bacterium vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) can exceed 10(9) organisms per gra...

lactobacilli, like the other gut commensal bacteria, are well known for their use in poultry nutrition and for their probiotic properties. however, little is known about their interaction with the gastro-intestinal tract when administered in vivo. to specifically monitor the passage of lactobacilli after administered in hatchery, lactobacillus plantarum was transformed with the recombinant vect...

BACKGROUND Porcine proliferative enteropathy in pigs is caused by the obligate, intracellular bacterium Lawsonia intracellularis. In vitro studies have shown close bacterium-cell interaction followed by cellular uptake of the bacterium within 3 h post inoculation (PI). However, knowledge of the initial in vivo interaction between porcine intestinal epithelium and the bacterium is limited. The a...

This study evaluated the effects of Drinking Thyme Essence (DTE) (Zero, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20 mL/L) on growth performance, immune response and changing of intestinal bacterial population in broiler chickens. A total number of 500 day old male broiler chicks (Ross 308), were randomly assigned to 4 treatments with 5 replicates and 25 chickens per each, based on a completely randomized design (CRD)....