Digestive System Research Unit, University Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain.
Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2012 Oct;9(10):599-608. doi: 10.1038/nrgastro.2012.152. Epub 2012 Aug 21.
IBD-ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease-is emerging as a worldwide epidemic. An association between the increased incidence of IBD and environmental factors linked to socioeconomic development has been persistently detected in different parts of the world. The lifestyle in developed countries might impair the natural patterns of microbial colonization of the human gut. The interaction of microbes with mucosal immune compartments in the gut seems to have a major role in priming and regulating immunity. In IBD, mucosal lesions are generated by an excessive or dysregulated immune response against commensal microbes in the gut. In individuals with a genetic susceptibility to IBD, abnormal microbial colonization of the gastrointestinal tract might be the origin of such dysregulation. Developments in gene-sequencing technologies, as well as increased availability of powerful bioinformatic tools, have enabled novel insights into the microbial composition of the human gut microbiota and the effect of microbial communities on human physiology and disease. Studies that used these technologies indicate that dysbiosis (that is, abnormal microbiota composition) and decreased complexity of the gut microbial ecosystem are common features in patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. Whether such changes are a cause or a consequence of the disease remains to be elucidated.
IBD-溃疡性结肠炎和克罗恩病-正在成为一种全球性的流行疾病。在世界不同地区，人们持续发现，IBD 的发病率增加与与社会经济发展相关的环境因素有关。发达国家的生活方式可能会损害人类肠道中微生物定植的自然模式。微生物与肠道粘膜免疫成分的相互作用似乎在启动和调节免疫方面起着重要作用。在 IBD 中，粘膜损伤是由对肠道共生微生物的过度或失调免疫反应引起的。在易患 IBD 的个体中，胃肠道的异常微生物定植可能是这种失调的根源。基因测序技术的发展以及功能强大的生物信息学工具的广泛应用，使人们对人类肠道微生物组的微生物组成以及微生物群落对人类生理和疾病的影响有了新的认识。使用这些技术的研究表明，肠道微生物失调（即异常的微生物组成）和肠道微生物生态系统的复杂性降低是克罗恩病或溃疡性结肠炎患者的共同特征。这些变化是疾病的原因还是后果仍有待阐明。
