The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 NewsACR Convergence
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
      • Psoriatic Arthritis
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Oral & Gut Microbiomes Altered in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Oral & Gut Microbiomes Altered in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

August 20, 2015 • By Reuters Staff

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have alterations in their oral and gut microbiomes that partially normalize with treatment, according to results from a metagenome-wide association study.

You Might Also Like
  • Why Oral Corticosteroids Should Not be Used in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Links Between Gut Bacteria and Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Volatility of the Gut Microbiome Tied to IBD

The microbiota influence metabolic and immune homeostasis, and microbial triggers have been postulated in RA, but little is known about the oral and gut microbiomes of RA patients.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Dr. Xuan Zhang, from Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China, and colleagues compared the gut microbiomes of 77 treatment-naïve RA patients and 80 unrelated healthy controls, 17 treatment-naive RA patients paired with 17 healthy relatives, and 21 samples from DMARD-treated RA patients. They compared oral microbiomes from treatment-naive RA patients (54 oral, 51 saliva) and healthy controls (51 dental, 47 saliva).

The oral and gut microbiomes of individuals with RA were distinct from those of healthy individuals, according to the July 27 Nature Medicine online report.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Hemophilus species were depleted in individuals with RA in all microbiomes and negatively correlated with the levels of serum autoantibodies, whereas Lactobacillus salivarius was over-represented in RA patients at all three sites and was especially elevated in patients with very active RA.

A microbiome-based model that included eight of the gut metagenomic linkage groups (MLGs) identified RA patients with 83.8% sensitivity and 92.2% specificity. Another model that used dental MLGs and two salivary MLGs yielded 80% sensitivity and 86% specificity for identifying RA patients.

DMARD treatment partially restored the RA microbiome in the direction of healthy controls, and MLG-based models accurately predicted the response to DMARD treatment.

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

“Our comprehensive survey of the gut and oral microbiomes in individuals with RA supports the notion that RA represents a state of chronic inflammation that might be provoked or aggravated by the overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria or a lack of immune-modulating commensal bacteria,” the researchers concluded. “These findings are a first step toward microbiome-based therapeutics and patient stratification in preclinical and clinical phases of RA.”

“With further investigation of the possible mechanisms, microbiome-assisted diagnosis, prognosis and treatment could hold great promise for effective long-term management of autoimmune diseases such as RA, together with their accompanying dental and cardiovascular symptoms,” they added.

Dr. Zhang and coauthors Dr. Yingrui Li and Dr. Jun Wang did not respond to a request for comments.

The authors reported no disclosures.

Filed Under: Conditions, Rheumatoid Arthritis Tagged With: disease-modifying antirheumatic drug, DMARDs, gut microbiome, Rheumatiod arthritis

You Might Also Like:
  • Why Oral Corticosteroids Should Not be Used in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Links Between Gut Bacteria and Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Volatility of the Gut Microbiome Tied to IBD
  • Microbiome Research Provides Clue to Rheumatoid Arthritis

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use / Cookie Preferences

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2023 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)