Amelia Roy
Posts by Amelia Roy for News
M.gnavus: a new biomarker for Spondyloarthritis in Crohn's disease patients
Spondyloarthritis is a common complication for Crohn’s disease patients, with approximately a third experiencing joint pain. It is thought to be caused by gut bacteria that escape the lumen when the intestinal barrier breaks down, triggering immune responses. Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine recently investigated whether different types of bacteria are particularly responsible for these interactions and could be used as potential biomarkers.
To do this, they performed IgG sequencing on stool samples from 106 people (including CD patients without joint inflammation, those with peripheral spondyloarthritis, those with axial spondyloarthritis and healthy controls) and analysed the samples to determine which bacteria were associated with each group. The results showed that CD patients, with or without spondyloarthritis, had distinct and less diverse bacterial communities. These populations also differed between CD patients with peripheral or axial spondyloarthritis. Of these bacteria, Mediterraneibacter gnavus was highlighted as having elevated IgG in CD patients with both peripheral and axial spondyloarthritis. This IgG coating level also correlated with spondyloarthritis disease activity scores.
This research indicates that IgG reactivity against M. gnavus could serve as a biomarker to distinguish and monitor spondyloarthritis severity in Crohn’s disease patients, and may also be a potential target for future therapies. While these results are promising, it is important to note that additional studies are needed to confirm this potential biomarker in larger patient groups.
