PMID- 12468819
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20030220
LR  - 20220309
IS  - 1462-0324 (Print)
IS  - 1462-0324 (Linking)
VI  - 41
IP  - 12
DP  - 2002 Dec
TI  - Comparison of the faecal microflora of patients with ankylosing spondylitis and 
      controls using molecular methods of analysis.
PG  - 1395-401
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine whether differences within the complex intestinal 
      microflora can be demonstrated between patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) 
      and healthy individuals. METHODS: The composition of the faecal microflora of 15 
      ankylosing spondylitis patients and 15 matched controls was determined using a 
      variety of nucleic acid-based methods, including denaturing gradient gel 
      electrophoresis (DGGE). Concentrations of serum antibodies reactive with 
      intestinal bacteria were determined. T-cell proliferation responses to autologous 
      intestinal bacteria were determined using a bioluminescent assay. RESULTS: DGGE 
      demonstrated a unique and stable bacterial community in the faeces of each 
      individual. No specific differences in colonization profiles were discernible 
      between patients and controls. Analysis of individual bacterial groups using 
      nucleic acid-based methods showed no differences in faecal colonization with 
      Klebsiella pneumoniae or Bacteroides vulgatus. A significantly higher proportion 
      of faecal samples from AS patients were found to contain sulphate-reducing 
      bacteria compared with samples from controls (P=0.0004). Three out of five 
      patients showed elevated T-cell proliferation responses to Bacteroides species 
      cultured from their own faeces. The concentrations of serum immunoglobulin A 
      (IgA) and IgM antibodies reactive with klebsiella or bacteroides cells were lower 
      in the patient group relative to the controls. CONCLUSIONS: By using DGGE, we 
      have demonstrated the complexity and individuality of the human intestinal 
      microflora and shown that this is a confounding factor in determining the 
      possible significance of individual organisms in the pathogenesis of 
      spondyloarthritis. Nevertheless, we demonstrated a higher prevalence of 
      sulphate-reducing bacteria in the faeces of patients with AS. These organisms 
      have been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. We also 
      detected a possible loss of immunological tolerance to autologous Bacteroides 
      isolates in patients with AS.
FAU - Stebbings, S
AU  - Stebbings S
AD  - Department of Rheumatology, Southmead Hospital, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, UK.
FAU - Munro, K
AU  - Munro K
FAU - Simon, M A
AU  - Simon MA
FAU - Tannock, G
AU  - Tannock G
FAU - Highton, J
AU  - Highton J
FAU - Harmsen, H
AU  - Harmsen H
FAU - Welling, G
AU  - Welling G
FAU - Seksik, P
AU  - Seksik P
FAU - Dore, J
AU  - Dore J
FAU - Grame, G
AU  - Grame G
FAU - Tilsala-Timisjarvi, A
AU  - Tilsala-Timisjarvi A
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - England
TA  - Rheumatology (Oxford)
JT  - Rheumatology (Oxford, England)
JID - 100883501
RN  - 0 (DNA, Bacterial)
RN  - 0 (Immunoglobulin A)
RN  - 0 (Immunoglobulin G)
RN  - 0 (Immunoglobulin M)
SB  - IM
MH  - Bacteroides/genetics/immunology
MH  - Case-Control Studies
MH  - DNA, Bacterial/*analysis
MH  - Feces/*microbiology
MH  - Humans
MH  - Immunoglobulin A/blood
MH  - Immunoglobulin G/blood
MH  - Immunoglobulin M/blood
MH  - Klebsiella/genetics
MH  - Lymphocyte Activation
MH  - Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods
MH  - Spondylitis, Ankylosing/immunology/*microbiology
MH  - Sulfur-Reducing Bacteria/*genetics
MH  - T-Lymphocytes/immunology
EDAT- 2002/12/07 04:00
MHDA- 2003/02/21 04:00
CRDT- 2002/12/07 04:00
PHST- 2002/12/07 04:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2003/02/21 04:00 [medline]
PHST- 2002/12/07 04:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1093/rheumatology/41.12.1395 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Rheumatology (Oxford). 2002 Dec;41(12):1395-401. doi: 
      10.1093/rheumatology/41.12.1395.