Ulcerative Colitis

"So what I tried to do in this article is to point out that the continued presence of these organisms in human society may actually be beneficial to the host and that is why they are tolerated by the immune system." It's an intriguing idea that requires more research in animal models.

"We don't know what to look for per se," he said.

"But we can guess that since a persistently infected host is constantly having its immune system stimulated and refined, that may provide it with resistance to other things." He wondered whether, as seen with H.

pylori, humans are also unknowingly causing the disappearance of other things that have been with us for all of our evolution, and that might play some role in our health.

"Could it be this that is responsible for some of the things we see such as the failure of the immune system to act appropriately?

" he asked.

The only answer to date is: "It's complicated." Instead of a persistent infection, some people get very ill from organisms such as Salmonella, H.

pylori, tuberculosis and meningitis.

How the immune system responds differently in individuals demands further research.

Falkow credits his colleagues for providing the fodder for his essay.

### BROADCAST MEDIA CONTACT: M.A.

Malone at (650) 723-6912 (mamalone@stanford.edu) Stanford University Medical Center integrates re...

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