Is ulcerative colitis a disease of a dysfunctional microbiota?

Abstract

Using the gross pathology literature and the prior decoupling of Crohn's disease from inflammatory bowel disease, IDI's White Paper puts into question the current understanding of what ulcerative colitis is and how it can be therapeutically addressed. The pathology literature, when coupled with the ability of fecal enema therapy to achieve a remission rate significantly superior to those documented for biologics, puts focus on the dominant role of the gastrointestinal microbiota in both disease induction and its recovery. The concept of endogenous enterotoxogenesis is introduced.

Keywords: Bacterial interference; Indeterminate colitis; Microbiota; Ulcerative colitis.