Idiopathic Lymphoid Hyperplasia: a role for commensal microbiota?

Lymphoid hyperplasia is a reactive lesion of lymphoid tissue, considered the extranodal equivalent of a reactive lymph node. Although its etiology remains elusive, mucosal colonization with specific strains of bacteria was previously proposed in the literature as a possible etiologic agent. In this paper, we report two clinical cases of reactive lymphoid hyperplasia, indistinguishable from malignancy, and we discuss the interaction between the microbiome and the epithelial lining that may contribute to the etiology of this condition.