Intestine cells keep bacteria in their place

A once enigmatic cell population in the intestinal lining is essential for preventing the bacteria that normally lives in the digestive tract from invading into deeper tissue where they can cause debilitating conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

This discovery of how the intestine maintains friendly relations with bacteria by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre at Dallas, could help in the development of new therapies for IBD as well as further the understanding of how beneficial bacteria added to food helps boost the body’s immune system.