Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
In this Opinion article, Byndloss and Bäumler propose that host control over the microbial ecosystem in the large bowel is critical for the composition and function of its resident microbial organ, while disruption of host control triggers microbial organ dysfunction. This concept provides a theoretical framework for linking the gut microbiota to non-communicable diseases.
