ABSTRACT
The gastrointestinal tract is one of the primary lines of defense for the body against pathogens. In a state of health, the gut is able to respond to a pathogen or allergen through various mechanisms. Tropical enteropathy is a subclinical disorder seen in the gastrointestinal tract that affects millions of individuals, particularly those living in low-income countries. Environmental enteropathy is defined as a subclinical disorder resulting in structural and functional changes to the small intestine. Although initially, environmental enteropathic dysfunction (EED) is asymptomatic, the bacterial proliferation, inflammatory infiltration, and changes in absorptive functions indicate that there is an underlying state of ill health. Many of the risk factors associated with EED, such as poverty, water contamination, and unsanitary conditions have also been proposed to impact early childhood development. A newborn slowly develops a complex and diverse microbial ecosystem that closely resembles the adult microbiota by approximately 2 years of age.
