Gut bacteria link to rheumatoid arthritis

A connection may have been found between the onset of rheumatoid arthritis and the activity of certain intestinal bacteria, says research published in eLife.

US scientists analysed faecal DNA samples from 114 people with rheumatoid arthritis. They found that an intestinal bacteria called Prevotella copri (P. copri) was present in:

• 21.4% of healthy people
• 75% of people newly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis
• 11.5% of people with rheumatoid arthritis who had received immunosuppressive treatment

The implications

“At this stage we cannot conclude that there is a causal link between the abundance of P. copri and the onset of rheumatoid arthritis,” explains Dr Dan Littman who was involved in the work. “We are developing new tools that will hopefully allow us to ask if this is indeed the case.”

Next steps

P. copri is a “good” bacteria that breaks down undigested carbohydrates to fuel the body. 

Future research will look at why an expansion of P. copri in the gut could be associated with the inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis.

To read the original research visit http://elife.elifesciences.org/content/2/e01202.