Dr. Gregg Silverman's new research on lupus reveals a connection between this autoimmune disease and gut bacteria.
Photo: Karsten Moran
Researchers in NYU Langone’s have authored a study suggesting an imbalance in the gut microbiome of people with lupus may be driving the chronic autoimmune disease as well as its flare-ups. The discovery may lead to better treatments for lupus, which can damage the skin, joints, and organs, says study author , professor in the Departments of and .
Comparing gut bacteria from people who have lupus with bacteria from their healthy peers, scientists learned that those with lupus had about five times more of the bacteria known as Ruminococcus gnavus.
“Current lupus therapies seek to dampen or destroy the immune system,” Dr. Silverman says. “The idea that we might find in some patients that their disease is being worsened by bacteria in their intestine may mean we find much more benign therapeutic approaches,” he adds.
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