Gut microbes trigger autoimmune disease later in life in mice

Monday, January 19, 2015 - 10:30 in Health & Medicine

The colonization of the gut of young mice by certain types of bacteria can lead to immune responses later in life that are linked to disease, researchers report. Increases in the levels of segmented filamentous bacteria can trigger changes in the lymphoid tissue of the mouse gut that result in the production of antibodies that attack components of the cell nucleus. This type of damage is a hallmark of autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus and systemic sclerosis where organs throughout the body are damaged by wayward immune responses.

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