A single study comparing naïve wild type and Nlrp3−/− littermates found there were 10 bacterial genera clearly enriched in the fecal microbiota of Nlrp3-deficient animals.31 Currently, the function of NLRP3 in the intestine remains controversial with reports of both protective and deleterious effects of NLRP3, particularly in murine models of colitis.32 Additional carefully controlled studies to examine NLRP3 pathways in intestinal homeostasis are clearly required. This evidence concerns the gene NLRP3 and colitis.