Bacterial Imbalances Have a Link to Multiple Sclerosis, Study Finds

Approximately a million Americans suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS), and globally, more than 2.8 million individuals have this condition. Several factors are thought to play a role in the development of this autoimmune condition, such as genetics, environmental factors, infectious disease, diet, and gut health.

A new study has shown that imbalances in certain types of gut bacteria not only strongly indicate the likelihood of this illness developing but could also be a pointer to the severity of the disease in affected individuals.

The researchers discovered that the ratio of two specific bacteria in the gut was a strong predictor of how severe the disease was likely to be in a given patient. This finding brings attention to how pivotal gut health and the microbiome are in MS. The team started by analyzing the bacterial and chemical composition of individuals with MS, and they found these patients had a different profile from that of individuals who didn’t have the disease.

More specifically, they found high levels of Blautia, a type of bacterium, in MS patients. They also found low levels of Prevotella, a bacteria common in people with a healthy gut. They then conducted an experiment in mice to study their bacterial composition further and found that mice that exhibited symptoms similar to those in MS sufferers had an imbalance in two key types of bacteria; Akkermancia and Bifidobacterium.

The gut lining or stool of mice having MS symptoms had more Akkermancia than Bifidobacterium while those without MS had more Bifidobacterium than Akkermancia. This ratio was therefore a strong predictor of which mice had MS and which ones didn’t have the illness.

The team went a step further and administered antibiotics to kill all bacteria in the gut of healthy mice. They then introduced the different bacteria above in those mice to see what would happen. They found that mice with more Akkermancia compared to levels of Bifidobacterium soon developed symptoms similar to what is seen in MS patients.

On examining people in Iowa, other parts of the U.S., Europe and Latin America, they saw this consistency in the gut bacteria of those having MS and the bacteria composition of those without this illness was consistent with the composition of mice that didn’t have MS symptoms.

This study sheds more light on how vital gut bacteria are in influencing an individual’s predisposition to ailments like MS. More research will be needed to help further clarify the link between gut bacteria and MS so that new effective treatments can be developed based on the information gathered in these studies.

With many companies like Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN) and the academia devoted to finding viable treatments for MS, it may not be long before patients have more options to consider after they are diagnosed with the disease.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/CLNN

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