Real-time imaging of fish gut ties bacterial competition to gut movements

In recent years, numerous diseases have been tied to variations in gut microbiota. The probiotics industry targets gut and intestinal health by developing products built mostly around enzyme cultures and bacteria. But a new study suggests that the underlying health and physical forces of the gut are as important as the bacteria inside in shaping communities of intestinal microbiota, and offers insights into the problems experienced by humans with a birth defect called Hirschsprung's disease.