Inflammatory bowel disease is driven by a seemingly aberrant immune response to the gut microbiota with disease development dictated by genetics and environmental factors. A model exemplifying this notion is work by Andrew Gewirtz, Center for Inflammation, Immunity, & Infection, Georgia State University, and colleagues, demonstrating that colonisation of adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) during microbiota acquisition drove chronic colitis in mice lacking the flagellin receptor TLR5 (T5KO).

They have now published a paper in Gut hypothesising that AIEC instigates chronic inflammation by increasing microbial lipopolysaccharide and flagellin levels, and investigating how AIEC colonisation might instigate colitis in T5KO mice.

Mairi McLean talks to Dr Gerwitz about their findings.