Peat wrote in several of his articles about the possible microbiome origin of a variety of “autoimmune” conditions, especially Lupus. While other similar conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been linked to endotoxin/LPS, estrogen and thyroid dysfunction, others such as Lupus and MS remain with elusive causes, though the estrogen link remains strong given the much higher prevalence of these conditions in females. The study below shows that two species of bacteria commonly found in people with SIBO may trigger the development/symptoms of MS. While it is not yet clear if the bacteria translocates from the small intestine to the brain and spinal cord, the study did demonstrate that the bacteria in question triggered robust inflammatory reaction in the GI tract, and the inflammatory mediators reached the nervous system. If this result is confirmed in subsequent studies, it only only suggest an easy curative treatment for MS in the form of non-absorbable antibiotics used for SIBO such as RIfaximin, but also strongly suggests that current immunosuppressive therapies for MS are just about the worse possible approach given the bacterial overgrowth/infection.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2419689122
“…Researchers have been searching the gut for bacteria in the microbiome that cause multiple sclerosis (MS) for decades. Two types of bacteria that hide in the small intestine are now clearly implicated by new evidence from a rare twin study. Eisenbergiella tayi and Lachnoclostridium were identified as the most probable causes of the nerve-damaging condition in the study, which evaluated 81 pairs of genetically identical siblings. The multinational research led by Dr. Anna Peters of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich discovered a connection between these bacteria and human and mouse disease.”
“…51 microbial possibilities were identified by in-depth DNA tracking of gut samples; the numbers of these varied between siblings who were afflicted and those who were not. At the top of the watch list were two bacterial species that repeatedly surfaced with the greatest odds ratios. The ileum, the final segment of the small intestine that houses a bustling immunological garrison, is where those samples originated. Because pro-inflammatory T cells congregate here before travelling to the brain and spinal cord, the decision was significant. The same two bacterial species were found in a subsequent comparison with the 1,152-person International MS Microbiome Study. The Munich team was reassured by the overlap that their twin cohort was not a statistical anomaly.”
“…The researchers went beyond sequencing to test causality instead of correlation. In germ-free mice designed to develop inflammation similar to multiple sclerosis, they implanted ileal bacteria from selected twins. Within twelve weeks, paralysis developed in rats that were exposed to microorganisms from the sibling who had multiple sclerosis. Throughout the whole investigation, mice that were given the healthy twin’s microorganisms remained mobile. In one experiment, E. Tayi bloomed dramatically in three female mice shortly before the onset of MS symptoms. Other frequent bacterial genera were absent from their faeces, suggesting that the bloom pushed out possible rivals. Lachnoclostridium dominated late in the trial, and the results were replicated in a follow-up transfer from another twin pair. The signal was skewed towards female animals once more, which is consistent with women’s increased risk of MS. Overall, mice with “MS” bacteria experienced spinal lesions in over 60% of cases, while control groups experienced spinal lesions in less than 10% of cases. In every trial, no other single species increased in tandem with the sickness….Some Lachnospiraceae induced macrophages to adopt an aggressive posture in a model of controlled ulcerative colitis. The spinal cords of the colonised animals showed similar patterns of macrophages.”
