There has been bacteria research going on now for years really. But much more is needed to understand all of the gut bacteria, which they are doing almost like the human genome project, only with gut flora.
Have you ever heard of DR Wood, who is an expert on IBS as well as food allergies, but is major in studying IBS and the enteric nervous system. There are cells that are ebedded in the gut wwall called mast cells and other cells called EC cells that store most of the serotonin in the gut.The ec cells have been majorally implicated in the d and c and d/c and pain in IBS.
But the mast cells have also been implicated. The brain can cause them to degranulate and this can cause tissue irritatation and inflammation as well of those specific cells which releases histimine unto the smooth muscle of the gut and contribute to pain and d. Most of the IBSers seen with macroscopic inflammation developed IBS from post infectious IBS and there they have an increase of ec cells and mast cells in the gut, so there are now structural abnormalities.
FYI
"You have two brains: one in your head and another in your gut. Dr. Jackie D. Wood is a renowned physiologist at The Ohio State University. He calls the second brain, "the-little-brain-in-the-gut." This enteric nervous system is part of the autonomic nervous system and contains over one hundred million neurons, which is as many as are in the spinal cord. This complex network of nerves lines the walls of the digestive tract form the esophagus all the way down to the colon. This little brain in the gut is connected to the big brain by the vagus nerves, bundles of nerve fibers running from the GI tract to the head. All neurotransmitters, such as serotonin that are found in the brain are also present in the gut.
Dr Wood has discovered that this little-brain-in-the-gut has programs that are designed for our protection and which are very much like computer programs. They respond to perceived threats in the same way that the limbic system or the emotional brain does. So the threat of a gastrointestinal infection can activate the program that increases gut contractions in order to get rid of the infection. The symptoms are abdominal cramping and diarrhea.
Dr. Wood has determined that a type of cell found in the body and the gut, called the mast cell, is a key to understanding the connection of the big brain in the head with the little-brain-in-the-gut. Mast cells are involved in defense of the body. In response to certain threats or triggers, such as pollen or infection, mast cells release chemicals, such as histamine, that help to fight off the invader. Histamine is one of the chemicals that causes the symptoms of an allergy or a cold. When an infection of the gut occurs, such as food poisoning or gastroenteritis, the mast cells of the gut release histamine. The little-brain-in-the-gut interprets the mast cell signal of histamine release as a threat and calls up a protective program designed to remove the threat â€" at the expense of symptoms: abdominal pain and diarrhea.
The brain to mast cell connection has a direct clinical relevance for irritable bowel syndrome and other functional gastrointestinal syndromes. It implies a mechanism for linking allostasis and the good stress response to irritable states (e.g., abdominal pain and diarrhea) of the gut. Mast cells can be activated to release histamine in response to perceived psychological stress, whether the stressor or trigger is consciously perceived or not. So the end result is the same as if an infection activated the program in the-little-brain-in-the-gut: abdominal pain and diarrhea."
http://www.parkviewpub.com/nuggets/n5.html
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My website on IBS is www.ibshealth.com
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