Scientists cant predict what triggers rheumatoid arthritis, a mysterious and painful autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation in the joints. But theyre targeting an intriguing new suspect: the trillions of microbes living and working inside the gut. Bacteria can influence the development of some autoimmune diseases. Using a sophisticated DNA analysis technique, the scientists compared the gut bacteria from fecal samples of patients with rheumatoid arthritis with those of healthy people. They found a bacteria known as Prevotella copri was more abundant in patients with newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis than in healthy people or patients with chronic, treated rheumatoid arthritis. Moreover, the overgrowth of P. copri was associated with fewer beneficial gut bacteria. Theres a lot of speculation about autoimmune diseases being associated with changes or disturbances in the microbiota, Littman said. He called his teams study results the clearest association with a particular microbe to date.
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 13:00:02 +0000