Emergence of the Human Gut Microbiota as an Influencer in Health and Disease

Impact of the intestinal microbiome on human health has become increasingly apparent. A plethora of studies have focused on dietary influence, in addition to antimicrobial use and other therapeutic interventions, on microbial diversity. Despite this increased emphasis on elucidating microbiota of the healthy or diseased gut, very few data are available regarding bacteria identified from the mesentery in particular. Mesenteric lymph nodes are sites in which translocated bacteria incite and progress immunological responses. For this reason, understanding the microbiome of mesenteric lymph nodes in health and disease is important. We describe advances in our knowledge enabled by improved sequencing technology.