Colonization and Impact of Disease and Other Factors.pdfVIP

Dig Dis Sci (2007) 52:2069–2077 DOI 10.1007/s10620-006-9285-z ORIGINAL PAPER Colonization and Impact of Disease and Other Factors on Intestinal Microbiota ´ ´ Oscar C. Thompson-Chagoyan · Jose Maldonado · Angel Gil Received: 16 January 2006 / Accepted: 1 March 2006 / Published online: 10 April 2007 C Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2007 Abstract The aim of this study was to review the process bacterial factors, and strong evidence has emerged of sub- of microbial colonization and the environmental and host stantial modifications during illness or exposure to threaten- factors that influence colonization and microbial succession. ing experiences. It has been postulated that improvements The impact of some diseases on intestinal microbiota com- in hygienic measures have led to an increase in allergic dis- position is also described. Microbial colonization of the gut eases (“hygiene hypothesis”). Alterations in gut microbiota by maternal vaginal and fecal bacteria begins during and af- and their functions have been widely associated with many ter birth. During the first 2 years of life, specific microbes chronic and degenerative diseases, including inflammatory become established in a process designated microbial suc- bowel disease, colon cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis. cession. Microbial succession in the gastrointestinal tract is influenced by numerous external and internal host-related Keywords Colonization . Inflammatory bowel disease . factors, and by the second year of life, the intestinal micro- Intestine . Intestinal diseases . Microbiota biota composition is considered identical to that of adults. Nevertheless, intestinal microbiota in both infants and adults remain incompletely characterized and their diversi