Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease that causes inflammation and pain in the joints. Researchers at the University of Colorado have discovered that a unique bacterium found in the gut may be responsible for causing rheumatoid arthritis in patients already predisposed to this autoimmune disease.
Main Details:
- A team of researchers from the University of Colorado Division of Rheumatology, led by Dr. Kristine Kuhn, worked on this study.
- Previous research has established that people at risk of rheumatoid arthritis can be identified based on serological markers.
- Researchers discovered a new bacterium with the help of a team at Stanford University. They collected immune cells from people with blood markers that indicated a risk for the disease and combined them with the people's feces to discover the bacteria marked by antibodies.
- Tests on animal models showed that the bacteria not only caused the development of blood markers seen in people at risk of rheumatoid arthritis, but some models also developed the disease itself.
Implications and Conclusions:
- If this single species of bacteria is indeed responsible for the immune response that leads to rheumatoid arthritis, it may be possible to target the bacteria with drugs to prevent this response.
- Researchers want to examine exactly how the bacteria triggers the immune response, as well as different methods of preventing the reaction.
- There are new technologies that could selectively target a bacterium in the gut microbiome to prevent its immunogenic effects on the host.
- Reference: "Clonal IgA and IgG autoantibodies from individuals at risk for rheumatoid arthritis identify an arthritogenic strain of Subdoligranulum" published in Science Translational Medicine.
