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Current Concepts of the Intestinal Microbiota and the Pathogenesis of Infection

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Abstract

The human gastrointestinal tract is populated by a vast and diverse community of microbes. This gut microbiota participates in host metabolism, protects from invading microbes, and facilitates immune system development and function. In this review, we consider the contributions of intestinal microbes to the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. Key concepts of colonization resistance, host-commensal microbe interaction in immunity, antibiotics and gut bacterial communities, viral-gut bacterial interactions, and evolving methods for studying commensal microbes are explored.

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Disclosure

Conflicts of interest: L. Wardwell—none; C. Huttenhower—none; W. Garrett—none.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, SPH 1 909, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Leslie H. Wardwell & Wendy S. Garrett

  2. Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, SPH 1 909, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Wendy S. Garrett

  3. Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Avenue, SPH 2, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Curtis Huttenhower

  4. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Leslie H. Wardwell & Wendy S. Garrett

  5. Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA

    Wendy S. Garrett

Authors
  1. Leslie H. Wardwell
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  2. Curtis Huttenhower
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  3. Wendy S. Garrett
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Correspondence to Wendy S. Garrett.

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Wardwell, L.H., Huttenhower, C. & Garrett, W.S. Current Concepts of the Intestinal Microbiota and the Pathogenesis of Infection. Curr Infect Dis Rep 13, 28–34 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11908-010-0147-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11908-010-0147-7

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