Immunology of inflammatory diseases of the bowel

This article examines the complex interaction of innate and adaptive immune responses and the maintenance of functional intestinal homeostasis during enteric insult. Specific diseases of interest to veterinarians (e.g., Johne 's disease and swine dysentery) are used to characterize this interaction a nd to define the role of specific leukocyte subsets, cytokines, and other m ediators of inflammation in the pathogenesis of enteric disease. The role o f the intestinal microflora in intestinal inflammatory disease is also desc ribed.