The risk of developing multiple sclerosis appears to be linked to certain gut bacteria

For a long time, there has been a relationship between the risks Multiple sclerosis (MS) and sure gut bacteria discuss. A recent study has now shown that the gut microbiome influences the risk of developing multiple sclerosis as well as the course and progression of the disease.

as part of International Multiple Sclerosis Microbiome Study (iMSMS) were possible links between gut microbiome (Intestinal germs) and the The risk of developing multiple sclerosis As well as the course of the disease and response to treatment. The results were published in the journalcellChest.

New insights into the causes of MS

For a long time no greater success was achieved in the search for the causes of chronic inflammatory MS. That was at the beginning of this year Epstein-Barr virus was clearly identified as a potential trigger for MS for the first time specified.

Moreover, there is increasing evidence that Intestinal germs It can also have an effect on the risk and course of disease. on me 576 patients with MS (36% untreated) and 1,152 healthy control subjects were examined in the new linkable study.

Differences in the intestinal flora

The researchers were able to detect a significantly increased proportion of Akkermansia muciniphila, Ruthenibacterium lactatiformans, Hungatella hathewayi and Eisenbergiella tayi in the intestinal flora of those affected by MS.

However, the proportion of other species such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Blautia decreased in MS. was too The phytate pathway was significantly overrepresented in untreated MS, while the pyruvate-producing carbohydrate pathways were significantly reduced.Researchers report.

The success of treatment depends on the intestinal microflora?

Last but not least, the composition and function of the intestinal microbiota and the corresponding release of metabolites are also in response to complete treatment the changes. According to the researchers, for example, the therapeutic effect of interferon β It is therefore partly related to the regulation of short-chain fatty acid transporters.

And some bacteria that have been linked to MS appear to play a role in processing plant fibres, for example, whose byproducts are found in elevated concentrations in people with MS, the team reported.

According to the researchers, other types appear to have an effect on ignition and the power production device cell. “We were surprised by the number of species present at different levels in MS compared to controls”according to the study’s lead author Professor Sergio Baranzini From the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences.

The researchers summarized the results of the study clearly indicating specific links between the gut microbiome and risk of multiple sclerosis, and the course and progression of the disease, as well as functional changes in the intestinal flora as a result of treatment.

We hope for new treatments

These results also indicate evolution New therapeutic approaches However, we hope that in the further steps of the international study of the MS microbiome, the impact of individual bacteria must first be clarified, according to the lead author.

Now that the bacteria that could play a role in MS have been identified, it is now a matter of discovering the active signaling pathways, Baranzini explains. (fp)