1. Molecular ecology of the human intestinal microbiota / Kaouther Ben Amor and Elaine E. Vaughan -- 2. Sampling microbiota in the human gastrointestinal tract / Angele P.M. Kerckhoffs, Melvin Samsom, Gerard P. van Berge Henegouwen, Louis M.A. Akkermans, Vincent B. Nieuwenhuijs, and Maarten R. Visser -- 3. The normal microbiota of the human gastrointestinal tract : history of analysis, succession, and dietary influences / Anne L. McCartney and Glenn R. Gibson -- 4. The intestinal microbiota of the elderly / Fang He -- 5. Immune modulation by the intestinal microbiota / Marie-Christiane Moreau -- 6. Mucosal interactions and gastrointestinal microbiota / Wai Ling Chow and Yuan-Kun Lee -- 7. The metabolism of nutrients and drugs by the intestinal microbiota / Barry R. Goldin -- 8. The metabolism of polyphenols by the human gut microbiota / Max Bingham -- 9. Molecular analysis of host-microbe interactions in the gastrointestinal tract / Peter A. Bron, Willem M. de Vos, and Michiel Kleerebezem -- 10. The infant intestinal microbiota in allergy / Pirkka V. Kirjavainen and Gregor Reid -- 11. Probiotics : a role in therapy for inflammatory bowel disease / Barbara Sheil, Jane McCarthy, Liam O'Mahony, Malik M. Anwar, and Fergus Shanahan -- 12. The gastrointestinal microbiota in cancer / Patricia M. Heavey, Ian R. Rowland, and Joseph J. Rafter -- 13. In vitro methods to model the gastrointestinal tract / Harri Makivuokko and Paivi Nurminen -- 14. Animal models for the human gastrointestinal tract / Anders Henriksson -- 15. Born germ-free : microbial dependent / Elisabeth Norin and Tore Midtvedt -- 16. Modifying the human intestinal microbiota with prebiotics / Ross Crittenden and Martin J. Playne -- 17. Modifying the gastrointestinal microbiota with probiotics / Chandraprakash D. Khedkar and Arthur C. Ouwehand -- 18. Modifying the intestinal microbiota with antibiotics / Asa Sullivan and Carl Erik Nord -- 19. The intestinal microbiota of pets : dogs and cats / Minna Rinkinen -- 20. The gastrointestinal microbiota of farm animals / Alojz Bomba, Zuzana Jonecova, Sona Gancarcikova, and Radomira Nemcova.