How to treat RA caused by Proteus Mirabilis

[Nefferdun]

A year and a half of Doxycycline and Minocycline did not help my RA symptoms.I read proteus mirabilis is resistant to those drugs. Prior to being diagnosed with RA I had frequent bladder infections, then kidney stones, interstitial cystitis, and now frequent urination with sporadic incontinence. These all indicate a proteus infection. Prior to my diagnosis in 2020, when I took Bactrim, I had over all improvement, not just of UTIs but fatigue, headaches and pain. What drugs are used to treat RA caused by Proteus Mirabilis?

[Maz]

Hi Netterdun,

Professor Alan Ebringer (Middlesex Hospital, England) has extensively studied P. Mirabilis and the UTI/RA connection. You’ll find some of his research on this site in the RA Research section. He’s written a book on this very topic, called “Rheumatoid Arthritis and Proteus,” which likely describes his recommendations for treatment, though I haven’t yet read this book (available on kindle).

My fellow patient thought is that treatment might benefit the addition of biofilm, urinary pH/diet protocols and gut healing support protocols.

At one time, years ago, I read quite a bit about his work and, from memory, I recall that his belief is that P. Mirabilis sets the stage for a cross-reaction, called molecular mimicry, whereby in its chronic state, the microbe’s proteins confuse the immune system, creating anti-CCP autoantibodies that trigger and perpetuate the attack on cartilage.

I can’t recall any specific protocol but my guess is that it would involve a combination approach, similar to the C. Pneumoniae or K. Pneumoniae Protocols?

[Nefferdun]

Thank you so much for this very helpful information. I am going to look for Alan Bringer’s book. I am vegetarian but am eliminating all starches to see if that helps. I eat a lot of organic A2 yogurt and have gallium maltolate to help with biofilm.

[Maz]

Glad something might have helped. Please post again if you happen to read Ebringer’s book and let us know what you think of it. Wishing you all the best in your researches, and finding the ideal treatment approach
for you.

PS there was a poster here with user ID Dragonslayer who used to share info on Ebringer as he also researched the ankylosing spondylitis and K. Pneumoniae connection. If you run a search for his old posts you might find some interesting reading material.

[PhilC]

Hi Nefferdun,

Are you male or female? The reason I ask is because it might make a difference regarding which treatment is best for you.

Phil

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert Einstein

[Lynne G.SD]

Hi there,I just might have found some info for you but I will tell you what happened to me.As you see I have SD but it has been in complete remission for over 20 years and only have to take one tablet of Teva doxycycline every 4 to 5 days to keep it that way.About this time last year I came down with a very bad case of polymiositis.So bad that I had to hold on to something to get off a chair and that could take 5 minutes or more.I could not brush my teeth or wash myself and was losing 1 pound of weight a day as my muscles were simply decomposing.
I got my sorry ass downstairs to the computer and started to do some research after a couple weeks on prednisone that helped a lot.Found out that most immune diseases start in the gut.Step 2… find out which virus,micos and bacteria are involved with this disease.Step 3.. Gave hell to my doctor for not finding me a rheumatologist(still waiting) the hit him again for not looking into this disease. I found out that the most common denominator for Poly was a virus called S. Aureus and decided that treating this would be my first step.Only lactobacillus Ruterii will work so I ordered some from Amazone along with a packet of restricted plantain starch as it amplifies the Ruterii.
I was just plain lucky that I hit the nail on my first try as I expected I would have to try many things and that probably nothing would really work.Within a couple of weeks I was much better and after a month I was back to normal.Despite exercising like an idiot I can’t recoup much muscle but will not give up yet..

ittps://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-e&q=lactobacillus+ruterii++and+polymiositis

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-e&q=proteus+mirabilis+andprobiotics

General info on probiotics and immune diseases.Some good info on MS
htpps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc6213508

[Lynne G.SD]

OOPS the last link should read proteus+mirabilis+and+probiotics

[Nefferdun]

Thanks Lynne, I ordered the probiotic you recommended and read the articles. I hope you continue to improve. Prednisone weakens your muscles so I hope you are off of it now.

[PhilC]

Hi Nefferdun,

Nefferdun wrote:

What drugs are used to treat RA caused by Proteus Mirabilis?

Quite a few antibiotics are effective against Proteus mirabilis. You can see a table of them here:

https://wikem.org/wiki/Proteus_mirabilis

Note: That table is incomplete because some of the antibiotics listed as having “no data” (X1) are indeed effective against Proteus mirabilis.

Phil

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert Einstein

[Nefferdun]

Update. I could not order the book recommended because it is extremely expensive. Looking over my notes going back to 2018, every time I took Bactrim (which hits proteus mirabilis) I had immediate improvement. I didn’t stay on it because it causes yeast and gives me insomnia. It also causes a build up of ammonia, more so for me because I have a CPS mutation. I decided to try pulsing Bactrim, one pill every other day, to see if it helps. Cipro is very effective but one of the most dangerous drugs – I got tendonitis from Levaquin – same family as Cipro. For the yeast I have to carefully manage diet, take probiotics and I have nystatin when necessary. For the ammonia, Acetyl L. Ornithin, Cysteine and Argenine are supposed to help remove it. Hopefully managing the ammonia will help the insomnia. It is surprising to me that there is no mention of treating proteus mirabilis because it is one of the biggest culprits of RA, and minocycline and doxycycline do not affect it at all. I believe a lot of people who have failed the AP treatment protocol, which advises the tetracyclines, actually have proteus mirabilis.

[PhilC]

Hi Nefferdun,

I took Bactrim for several months back in 2008, but decided to switch to doxycycline because I didn’t think that taking Bactrim long term was a good idea (based on how I felt when I was on it). Two years later, the doxy began to fail, so I tried to switch back to Bactrim. Unfortunately, I had to stop after a few days because I was having allergic reactions to it. I then switched to trimethoprim (TMP), and took that along with doxcycline. I have been taking TMP daily, along with doxy (and later minocycline), ever since.

So, you may want to try TMP instead of Bactrim to see if you tolerate it better. Another drug to consider is fosfomycin. Fosfomycin is typically used to treat urinary tract infections, and Proteus mirabilis is sensitive to it. I would not use it alone, though, because it is not hard for bacteria to develop resistance to it. Fortunately, the combination of fosfomycin plus trimethoprim has been found to act synergistically, at least for some bacterial species. For treating UTIs, fosfomycin is normally taken once a week. It can be taken more often than that, but taking it daily is not advised since doing so tends to cause diarrhea.

Note: I am not a medical doctor. The above information is the result of having spent several hours examining the relevant scientific research that has been published in medical journals, as well as my own experience. Please consult your doctor for advice on how to best apply this information to your specific situation.

Phil

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert Einstein

[Nefferdun]

Thanks so much for that helpful information!

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