of the mucous membranes. It also causes ulcers (small sores) that can bleed and produce pus that appears as rectal discharge.

It may be blood-tinged, too. There's some evidence to suggest that mucus in the colon, where stool passes, may help to ...

A microbe found in the lower part of the gut that is associated with good health has been comprehensively analyzed and found to have a focused diet breaking down sugars locked away in mucus.