Scientists have discovered a fungus that delays wound healing in mice and is enriched in inflamed tissue from patients with Crohn’s disease. The findings, coupled with the discovery of an engineered yeast that suppresses inflammation in a mouse model of colitis, highlights the potential of studying fungi-host interactions in IBD.

Many studies have reported changes in gut microbiome composition in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis, when compared with healthy individuals. While that clearly raises the question about the key role played by gut microbes in IBD pathogenesis, we have yet to pinpoint the causative microbes and their mechanisms.

Despite the fact that current guidelines for managing inflammatory bowel diseases do not devote attention to diet as a central element of treatment, there is an increasing amount of evidence that supports the role of diet in patients with IBD. A new nationwide cohort study shows the association between the level of inflammatory potential in diet and risk of Crohn’s disease.