Discovery of bacterial signature of intestinal disease

Researchers from the Department of Biomedical Research of the University of Bern and the University Clinic of Visceral Surgery and Medicine of the Inselspital Bern, Switzerland, have discovered that changes in the composition of the intestinal bacteria in patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease affect the severity of the disease and the success of therapy. The advance provides an important basis to improve treatment of these diseases. Enormous numbers of bacteria live in our intestines: they normally cause no disease and they are essential if we are to remain healthy. If the delicate balance of these beneficial bacteria is disturbed through an unhealthy diet or side-effects of medications, the health-promoting functions of the bacteria are disrupted. Without the right interactions between our bodies and our intestinal bacteria different sorts of disease are triggered, especially inflammatory bowel disease. There are different forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) - Crohn's disease (which affects different segments of the entire intestinal tract) and ulcerative colitis (which affects the large intestine). These conditions affect about 30 people per 100,000 of the European and North American populations.