UTA biologist concludes that the body’s own immune system regulates bacterial communities in the intestine to promote health

Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington and University of Utah have concluded that the body’s own immune response regulates the composition of bacterial communities in the intestine that improve health and help fight off infections. Differences in the quality of this immune response and the composition of the bacteria in the intestine determine an individual’s susceptibility to inflammatory diseases like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, as well as infectious diseases like Salmonellosis or Listeriosis. Because of genetic differences between people, this immune response