寄主体内寄居着大量的共生微生物，这些微生物是人和动物健康成长不可或缺的。研究肠道微生物与寄主间的关系，对于提高人和动物的健康水平、预防疾病以及临床诊断等都具有重要的意义。本文主要针对肠道微生物与寄主的共生关系类型、肠道微生物群系的建立、肠道微生物的多样性、肠道微生物的附着、肠道微生物对肠道免疫及疾病治疗的影响、肠道微生物对肠道发育和能量平衡的影响、肠道微生物与寄主间的串扰7个方面进行了较为详细的综述。

Humans and animals are colonized by multituded of commensal organisms that are essential for growth and development of hosts. Studies on host-bacterial symbiotic relationship could conducive to improve the health status of humans or animals and may contribute to clinical diagnosis and prevention of diseases. In this article we review the Seven aspects detailed in types of symbiotic relationship, postnatal establishment of gut microflora, microbial diversity, adhesion of microbes to gut, bacterial-epithelial crosstalk and their effects on intestinal development anf energy balance, mucosal immunity and disease treatment.［Chinese Journal of Animal Nutrition, 2010，22（3）:519-526］