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Flagellated rod-shaped bacteria live on intestinal tissue.
Clostridia to the Rescue
Some commensal bacteria help shore up intestinal walls in mice, which can prevent food allergies.
Clostridia to the Rescue
Clostridia to the Rescue

Some commensal bacteria help shore up intestinal walls in mice, which can prevent food allergies.

Some commensal bacteria help shore up intestinal walls in mice, which can prevent food allergies.

gut bacteria, microbiology, immunology

T regulatory cell in red sandwiching an antigen presenting cell in blue
Gut Bacteria Help T Cells Heal Muscle: Study
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Mar 14, 2023 | 4 min read
Regulatory T cells in the colon travel to muscles to promote wound healing in mice, raising questions about how antibiotics may impact injury recovery.
a white mouse sits on a blue exercise wheel, looking out onto the shavings below
Mice With a Healthy Gut Microbiome Are More Motivated to Exercise
Katherine Irving | Dec 16, 2022 | 4 min read
A neural pathway between the gut and the brain led to the release of dopamine when the mice ran on a wheel or treadmill, but only in the presence of a robust microbiome. 
a small black mouse sits next to an obese black mouse on a white background
Obesity Protects Against Genital Herpes in Mice, Study Finds
Katherine Irving | Nov 11, 2022 | 3 min read
A high-fat diet induced changes to the animals’ vaginal microbiomes that boosted survival after exposure to the virus.
A section of a mouse distal colon showing luminal contents with bacteria in magenta, the mucus lining (green) and the epithelial cell barrier of the gut (blue, right).
Mapping the Neighborhoods of the Gut Microbiome
Abby Olena, PhD | Jul 1, 2022 | 7 min read
Researchers are going beyond fecal samples to understand how the patterns of commensal microbes in the gastrointestinal tract influence development and health.
Infographic: Maternal Microbiota Has Lasting Effects on Offspring
Carolyn A. Thomson and Kathy D. McCoy | Aug 1, 2021 | 3 min read
Work in rodents shows that the bacteria living in a mother’s gut can produce immunomodulatory metabolites and influence the production of maternal antibodies—both of which can affect her offspring’s development.
The Role of Mom’s Microbes During Pregnancy
Carolyn A. Thomson and Kathy D. McCoy | Aug 1, 2021 | 10+ min read
Bacteria in the gut influence the production of antibodies and themselves secrete metabolites. In a pregnant woman, these compounds may influence immune development of her fetus.
A scanning electron micrograph of a fetal gut, pseudocolored in yellow and blue
Microbes in Human Fetuses Spur Immune Development
Abby Olena, PhD | Jun 3, 2021 | 4 min read
Researchers identify live bacteria in fetal guts, skin, lungs, and placentas that activate memory T cells, indicating that early exposure to microbes could help educate the developing immune system.
Regulator of Mysterious Gut Antibodies Identified
Ruth Williams | Jul 31, 2020 | 3 min read
A B-cell receptor critical for the production of a subset of intestinal antibodies has been pinpointed, but the function of those antibodies remains unclear.
Gut Microbes Boost Flu Vaccine’s Success: Clinical Trial
Abby Olena, PhD | Sep 5, 2019 | 4 min read
Antibiotics disrupt the immune response to the influenza vaccine in people who haven’t recently had exposure to the virus or immunization.
Does the Microbiome Help the Body Fight Cancer?
Catherine Offord | Jul 10, 2019 | 4 min read
Research in mice and humans is beginning to establish a link between the composition of microbes in the gut and immune responses to tumor cells, but the mechanisms are not yet clear.
gut microbe defend against salmonella Mucispirillum
Image of the Day: Microbes At War
Chia-Yi Hou | Apr 23, 2019 | 1 min read
Scientists identify microbes in mice that help defend against Salmonella.
Human lung cancer cells
Caught on Camera
The Scientist | Apr 1, 2019 | 1 min read
Selected Images of the Day from the-scientist.com
Bacterial Cocktail Treats Infection
Edyta Zielinska | Oct 28, 2012 | 1 min read
Mice fed a mix of six strains of bacteria were able to fight a C. difficile infection that causes deadly diarrhea and is resistant to most types of treatment.
Cancer-Causing Gut Bacteria
Edyta Zielinska | Aug 17, 2012 | 1 min read
Mice with inflammatory bowel disease harbor gut bacteria that damage host DNA, predisposing mice to cancer.
Biota Babble
Edyta Zielinska | Mar 1, 2012 | 2 min read
Editor's choice in immunology
Mining Bacterial Small Molecules
L. Caetano M. Antunes, Julian E. Davies and B. Brett Finlay | Jan 1, 2011 | 10 min read
As much as rainforests or deep-sea vents, the human gut holds rich stores of microbial chemicals that should be mined for their pharmacological potential.
Intestinal Molecular Signaling
L. Caetano M. Antunes, Julian E. Davies and B. Brett Finlay | Jan 1, 2011 | 1 min read
Microbes, both good and bad, can exert direct effects on host cells and vice versa. 
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