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Bacterial Etiology of Inflammatory Disease

  • Chapter
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases 1986

Part of the book series: Developments in Gastroenterology ((DIGA,volume 8))

Abstract

Bacteria have been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) for several decades, beginning with conventional pathogens such as Shigella, and moving to the current, more “trendy” organisms such as L-forms and mycobacteria. It is only natural to consider bacteria as potential culprits in these diseases, since the intestinal mucosa forms the fragile border between the flora of the lumen and the host’s tissues. In addition, the gut is threatened on a daily basis by microorganisms from the environment that gain passage through vehicles of food and drink. Besides these écologic considerations, the histopathologic features of IBD are strikingly reminiscent of conventional infectious diseases, albeit of an acute and self-limited nature. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is not unlike acute bacillary dysentery, while Crohn’s disease (CD) bears resemblance to intestinal tuberculosis and Yersinia infection.

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Authors
  1. S. L. Gorbach
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel

    Daniel Rachmilewitz

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© 1986 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers

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Gorbach, S.L. (1986). Bacterial Etiology of Inflammatory Disease. In: Rachmilewitz, D. (eds) Inflammatory Bowel Diseases 1986. Developments in Gastroenterology, vol 8. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4269-1_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4269-1_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-8396-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-4269-1

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