One in 100 people are affected byheumatoid arthritis. It can cause inflammation, pain, and swelling in the hands and wrists, and can lead to loss of joint function. There is no known cause of this condition.
An important clue to the cause of this disease was found by my colleagues and I in our recent study.
Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by the body's immune system attacking itself. The joints are attacked by the antibodies which help fight off infections.
It has been an area of study for a long time about the origins of the immune system. Over the course of 10 years, some research has shown that these antibodies can form at a number of places. It wasn't clear why researchers were finding these antibodies.
We wanted to find out what caused these antibodies to form. We wondered if there was a link between the immune response that leads to rheumatoid arthritis and the community ofbacteria in the gut.
We hypothesised that the production of these antibodies could be triggered by the same microbes that live at the same places. Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by the spread of these antibodies beyond the intestines to the joints.
The first thing we wanted to do was identify the idiosyncrasy of the immune system. To do this, we exposed thebacteria in the feces of a subset of people at risk for developing rhythym to the antibodies.
Around 20 percent of people who were either diagnosed with or produced the antibodies that cause the disease were found to have one previously unknown species ofbacteria in their gut.
As a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, I suggested the name Subdoligranulum didolesgii as a nod to the contributions that other Indigenous scholars have made to science.
It is not known how prevalent Subdoligranulum didolesgii is in the general population.
T cells are specialized immune cells that can be activated in people with rhythym. T cells drive inflammatory responses in the body and have been linked to the development of different diseases.
These findings suggest that the immune systems of people with rhythym may be activated by these gutbacteria. Their immune system attacks the joints rather than attacking thebacteria.
It is not known why people with rhythym have an immune response. We think it's the cause of Rheumatoid arthritis because it's found only in the guts of people with the disease and not in the guts of people without it.
The immune responses in the intestines are self-contained and do not spread to other parts of the body. We believe that a strong immune response against Subdoligranulum didolesgii could allow it to spread to the joints and cause a serious problem.
We gave mice an oral dose of Subdoligranulum didolesgii and monitored their reactions. Within 14 days, the mice developed joint swelling and attacks from their immune systems.
We hope that this research can shed light on the origin of the disease. Our next goal is to find out how common thesebacteria are in the general population and see if the presence of thesebacteria in the gut leads to the development of rhythym in people.
Antibiotics aren't likely to be helpful in treating patients with Rheumatoid arthritis. Even though Subdoligranulum didolesgii may be triggering an immune response in some people, antibiotics eliminate both helpful and harmfulbacteria in the gut. The immune system will still attack the joints even if the bacteria is removed.
We believe that thesebacteria can be used to develop treatments for rhythym and possibly ways to prevent it in the first place.
Meagan Chriswell is a candidate for a PhD in Immunology.
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