The gut microbiota is increasingly being implicated in disease. However, due to difficulty accessing the small bowel (i.e. requiring upper endoscopy) and the relative paucity of bacteria in this area (secondary to luminal flow and bactericidal bile acids/gastric acid), the small bowel microbiota is infrequently evaluated in any studies of this nature. The small bowel microbiota continues to remain an unexplored area of the gastrointestinal tract. Characterization of the microbial community and its function is the first step in determining how it potentially affects health and disease.