Yale Reveals Gut Bacteria Can Spread To Organs to Trigger Autoimmunity

[Maz]

Hot off the press:

Yale study reveals gut bacteria can spread to other organs to trigger autoimmune disease

A new study from Yale University has discovered that a certain type of gut bacteria can migrate from the gut to other parts of the body, triggering autoimmune diseases. The research revealed that certain autoimmune conditions, such as autoimmune liver disease and systemic lupus, could potentially be treated with an antibiotic or vaccine that attacks the specific bacteria.

Nothing new to us all here, but nice to see Research like this coming out of the bigger research hospitals.

[Maz]

Study is here: Translocation of a gut pathobiont drives autoimmunity in mice and humans

[aboyer]

Hi Max

Do you know if Minocycline treats this type of bacteria? Do you know of any other antibiotics that will treat this particular strain?

Diagnosed with severe RA 12 years ago
Tested positive for M. pneumoniae and C. pneumoniae

Current meds: Kineret 100mg, doxycycline 50mg, cbd oil, and celebrex

Supplements: fish oil, vitamin b12, folate, b6, iron, selenium, zinc, vitamin c, and biotin

[Maz]

Hi Aboyer,

Good question and I had to research it. Enterococcus gallinarum is a species type of enterococcus bacteria. So, presumably, treatment would be similar as for any type of enterococcus infection. Here’s the rub, Enterococcus gallinarum has a low level of resistance to vancomycin, which is a “last resort” antibiotic, reserved for the most part for really bad MRSA infections, endocarditis, intra-abdominal infections – basically, critically ill folk. My guess is that this is why the Yale researchers suggest a combination of vancomycin with a vaccine against Enterococcus gallinarum – a double-hit approach.

This bug travels, like other species of enterococcus, so it’s not a simple localized infection, though may be part of the human microbiome as commensal bacteria. It’s likely when the gut becomes compromised (leaky) and the individual is stressed in some way that this bug translocates and does its dirty work.

On Medscape, there is a good article about enterococcal infections, their management and treatment with antibiotics, so you should get an idea of the different antibiotics that are used for these infections. Again, though, my guess would be that a multi-antibiotic approach would be needed to prevent resistance. Also, as mentioned in the article, Dapsone is one abx alternative, and it’s been used in the past successfully for the treatment of some forms of lupus (interestingly). It has some immune-modulating effects, but also targets enterococcal bacteria. It is an antibiotic that requires some pre-testing to look for a certain type of anemia, because if a person is predisposed, then they can wind up with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (which, interestingly, is one possible disease manifestation of systemic lupus).

Enterococcal Infections Treatment & Management

You might need to create a Medscape account to read the above article.

Might also be of interest that a study was published a couple years ago (April 2016) by a Lyme Literate MD, etal, using Dapsone in combination with other antibiotics (rifampin, tetracyclines and/or macrolides) and they found very good success in using this antibiotic together with the others in reversing resistant, chronic Lyme disease and babesiosis (the latter infection can also cause the complication of autoimmune hemolytic anemia). These were patients where pretty much nothing had worked, or they had been sick for many years and the infection was very entrenched.

The Use of Dapsone as a Novel “Persister” Drug in the Treatment of Chronic Lyme Disease/Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome

Hope something above may help in your further researches, Aboyer.

[Author]

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