<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> The following article is free this month, December 2004, only. You may need to register (free) with Nature Publishing Group to access it. For the scientifically oriented, this article provides an excellent review of the immune, tolerance, and defence mechanisms of the gut and the relationship with gut microflora. The immune reponse to gluten in celiacs is much like the immune response to pathogenic bacteria. Along with its relevance to other inflammatory bowel disorders, the review makes for great background material. Download the article free while you can. http://www.nature.com/nri/ ---------- Nat Rev Immunol. 2004 Dec;4(12):953-64 War and peace at mucosal surfaces. Sansonetti PJ. Unite de Pathogenie Microbienne Moleculaire, U389 INSERM and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Institut Pasteur, 28 Rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris cedex 15, France. [log in to unmask] That we live with numerous bacteria in our gut without any adverse effects is a remarkable feat by the body's immune system, particularly considering the wealth of sensing and effector systems that are available to trigger inflammatory or innate immune responses to microbial intrusion. So, a fine line seems to exist between the homeostatic balance maintained in the presence of commensal gut flora and the necessarily destructive response to bacterial pathogens that invade the gut mucosa. This review discusses the mechanisms for establishing and controlling the 'dialogue' between unresponsiveness and initiation of active immune defences in the gut. Si vis pacem, para bellum. (If you wish for peace, prepare for war.). PMID: 15573130 [PubMed - in process] * * * *Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*