A new study in mice has shown that genetically engineered bacteria can protect against inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes a host of conditions including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. IBD conditions are serious ailments in which the gut becomes inflamed and damaged, sometimes so severely that surgery to remove the inflamed sections is the only treatment currently available. The conditions arise when the immune system attacks the gut, for reasons that are poorly understood. Symptoms include cramps, ulcers, weight loss, diarrhea, and the inflammation can result in intestinal scarring and a greater risk of developing bowel cancer.
