The intestinal tract, home to 100 trillion bacteria, also hosts a bevy of fungi that may contribute to inflammatory bowel ailments like Crohn’s disease and colitis, a study suggests. Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles found 200 different types of fungi in the guts of mice, half of which they couldn’t name, according to a report in the journal Science. They also uncovered a genetic variation in a protein called Dectin-1 that helps white blood cells recognize and kill fungi. Mice with the variation had more inflammation.
