Oral tolerance to food antigens and immune tolerance to gut microbiota share the property that foreign antigens encountered in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract-food and commensal microbes, respectively-do not elicit immune effector responses. Yet, these processes differ in that commensal microbes will still elicit protective adaptive immune responses if they cross the GI epithelium and enter the body.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Oral tolerance to food antigens and immune tolerance to gut microbiota both occur in the GI tract without eliciting immune effector responses. However, commensal microbes can still elicit adaptive immune responses if they cross the GI epithelium and enter the body, leading to protective immunity.

Oral Tolerance to Food Antigens and Immune Tolerance to Gut