Research published in the journal, Science, in May of 2012 revealed a link between fungi and inflammatory diseases such as ulcerative colitis. More than 100 different species of fungi have been found in the GI tract. White blood cells make a protein called Dectin-1 that locates and kills fungi and has been found to be defective in people with ulcerative colitis.
The function of the microbial ecosystem in the gut is reviewed and the myriad of ways it can be disturbed is described.
