The relationship between intestinal microbiota and immune cells in the development of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in cats: A review

Abstract

Recent studies suggest dynamic interactions between the resident microbiota and the host's immune system, contributing to the local and systemic immune responses, as well as their regulation, and that impact on the maintenance of health and disease. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is characterized as an immune imbalance in the relationship between the intestinal epithelium, the microbiota and innate and adaptive immunity cells, and may present with several clinical symptoms. In humans, IBD can be classified into Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (CoU). In cats, IBD can manifest similarly as in humans, depending on the intestinal segment affected, with similar symptoms. The cause of IBD remains unknown; however, evidence suggests that an abnormal immune response against microorganism’s resident in the intestine is responsible for the disease in genetically susceptible individuals. This review focuses on the importance of IBD in the feline patient and the difficulty in the differential diagnosis of feline chronic enteropathies. In order to gain a better understanding of the immunopathogenesis of the disease, relevant scientific articles published in the last decades concerning IBD with an emphasis on feline disease, the role of the microbiota and the immune system, were compiled in order to help the understanding of the veterinary clinician and pathologist.