What immunologists should know about bacterial communities of the human bowel

The human bowel is home to a bacterial community of much complexity. This article summarizes current bacteriological knowledge of the community and highlights topics of potential interest to innovative immunologists. The role of the bacterial community in the development and regulation of the immune system of neonates seems likely to be a particularly important area of future research. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.