Human digestive system digestive system is subject to a wide range of disorders many of which can be congenital. Mouth diseases can also be caused by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi and as a side effect of some medications. Mouth diseases include tongue diseases and salivary gland diseases. A common gum disease in the mouth is gingivitis which is caused by bacteria in plaque. The most common viral infection of the mouth is gingivostomatitis caused by herpes simplex. A common fungal infection is candidiasis commonly known as "thrush" which affects the mucous membranes of the mouth. There are a number of esophageal diseases such
Gaucher's disease and a human chitinase, chitotriosidase. This latter enzyme has proved to be very useful for monitoring Gaucher's disease activity in response to treatment, and may reflect the severity of the disease Gaucher's disease (GD) has four common clinical subtypes. These subtypes have come under some criticism for not taking account of the full spectrum of observable symptoms (the phenotypes). Also, compound heterozygous variations occur which considerably increase the complexity of predicting disease course. GD type I (non-neuropathic) is the most common and least severe form of the disease. Symptoms may begin early in life or in adulthood and mainly affect