Very interesting... The business about 'persisters'... or the 'bursts' of activity. and the e-coli that thrive on lactose... sitting alongside those that can't exist on it.
The diversity of a colony... And Dan, c'mon.. The author went on to say how e-coli can attack humans... "E. coli’s quirks can be a matter of life and death for us, as well. Some strains cause infections in the gut, the bladder, the blood and even the brain." I think that initial statement was to imply that E-coli, existing in 'everyone' ... isn't ALWAYS a killer... or a cause for concern. That it can exist harmlessly in lots of people. Then he goes on to say that for some folks, many of us... an e-coli colony CAN be a problem. I think, overall, his comment is fair.
Anyway, IF e-coli is at the root of crohns, which it may well be, the thumbnail sketch provided in this paper seems to correspond to a lot of the things we do experience.. like flares... or the fact that I have a problem with lactose others on here may not have. or how a person can have a remission, then fall back into this disease (those damned persisters).. All in all, very interesting reading.