Chronic inflammatory bowel diseases appear to result from inappropriate immune responses driven by apparently normal intestinal microflora in genetically susceptible hosts. This review focuses on recently described mechanisms balancing toll-like receptor and nucleotide-binding-oligomerization domain activation in the face of ubiquitous enteric flora.
Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Medicine, Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
