Gut Microbiota in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Complex Interplay.

The intestinal microbiota represents the microbial community that colonizes the gastrointestinal tract and constitutes the most complex ecosystem present in nature. The main intestinal microbial phyla are Firmicutes , Bacteroidetes , Actinobacteria , Proteobacteria , Fusobacteria , and Verrucromicrobia , with a clear predominance of the two phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes which account for about 90% of the intestinal phyla. Intestinal microbiota alteration, or dysbiosis, has been proven to be involved in the development of various syndromes, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis. The present review underlines the most recurrent changes in the intestinal microbiota of patients with NAFLD, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.