Unique bacterial fingerprint identified in systemic sclerosis – finding could lead to better treatments

People with systemic sclerosis have a unique bacterial signature in their colon, a discovery that could lead to better diagnosis and treatment, experts highlight at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress. The findings suggest that changes in the gut ecology could contribute to the clinical symptoms of systemic sclerosis and could be used to diagnose the condition and in the development of alternative treatments.
Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects multiple organs. Up to 90% of people with systemic sclerosis suffer from gastrointestinal tract involvement, which causes symptoms ranging from reflux, difficulty swallowing and feeling bloated, to diarrhoea and constipation.
A total of 17 people with systemic sclerosis underwent colonoscopy and were scored for various aspects of the disease. The composition of microbial communities in the first part of the large intestine and last part of the large intestine were compared with healthy individuals.
Significant differences were found between people with systemic sclerosis and healthy people, with a marked reduction in specific bacteria known to supply essential nutrients (commensal bacteria; Bacteroides and Faecalibacterium), and increases in bacteria causing infection (pathogenic bacteria; Enterobacteriales and Fusobacterium).
“By identifying significant differences in bacteria – both in type and quantity – seen in the colons of healthy individuals and those with systemic sclerosis we hope to have pinpointed the exact changes in body ecology that may contribute to the clinical symptoms of this disease,” says Dr Elizabeth Volkmann, who is involved in the work. “We believe investigating this specific microbial signature further has the potential to lead to better diagnostic tools and treatment for a truly debilitating condition.”

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Image credit: Kevin Dooley