Biodiversity of the Mucosa-Associated Microbiota Is Stable Along the Distal Digestive Tract in Healthy Individuals and Patients With Ibd

The mucosa-associated microbiota, being very close to the inflammatory process associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), may have a pathogenic role. We used a culture-independent method to analyze the mucosa-associated microbiota in IBD patients at various points of the distal digestive tract.Thirty-five patients (20 with Crohn's disease, 11 with ulcerative colitis, and 4 controls) underwent colonoscopy. Biopsies (n = 126) were taken...