NEWS in SCIENCE
Is your Gut giving you a Nerve Eating Disease?
By B.L.
Nerve eating disease could affect you! The disease multiple sclerosis destroys nerve cells in the body. Your own body turning against you could be caused by bacteria that lives in your gut. Scientists are looking into changes in your immune system brought on by foreign invaders in your body.
Gut bacteria regulate immune responses. The human body has natural bacteria cultures inside, and these cultures help the human body fight disease. A study found that people with self-attacking diseases, have a different gut culture. The study was on multiple sclerosis, a disease of the nervous system. Certain bacteria in the gut manage white blood cell responses; these bacteria are less common in people with autoimmune diseases.
Multiple sclerosis develops from a mix of genetics and location. The bacteria in the gut helps in production of T cells which are types of white blood cells that help our bodies fight infections. The study found patients with MS had higher levels than normal of two types of germs that are present in everyone. The two strands caused agitated responses in the T cells. This agitation works with genetic and outside factors to progress MS. One of the strands is known to make agitation worse during illness. The second strand mimics different components of the nervous system. This strand turns T cells against the nervous system. The T cells are impaired and can’t tell between good and bad cells. The progression of MS destroys the nervous system because the immune system of MS patients no longer functions in the way it should.
The data can be furthered to treat MS. Exposing the T cells to good germs leads to growing T cell populations that can counteract the affected T cells. This helps to keep agitation down when exposed to the same bacteria. The study has opened pathways for future studies which will help develop therapy for autoimmune diseases.
Cekanaviciutea, E., Yoob, B. B., Runiaa, T. F., Debeliusc, J. W., Singha, S., Nelsona, C. A., . . . Mazmanianb, A. S. (2017, September 11). Gut bacteria from multiple sclerosis patients modulate human T cells and exacerbate symptoms in mouse models. Retrieved September 16, 2017
Please send any questions or comments to Dr. Spitzer (spitzern@marshall.edu )
Note: Any opinions expressed in these articles are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent those of Dr. Spitzer, the Department of Biological Sciences, or Marshall University.