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Spondyloarthritis and the Microbiome: New Insights From an Ancient Hypothesis

  • Spondyloarthritis (MA Khan, Section Editor)
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Abstract

The human microbiome, which represents the total collection of microorganisms (and their genes) inhabiting the human body, has increasingly been recognized as a potential key factor in the development of autoimmune disease. Multiple studies suggest that the microbiome has significant influence on immune homeostasis, while disruptions in local microbiome composition can result in a heightened systemic inflammatory response. The intestinal microbiome, in particular, harbors the densest assembly of bacteria and appears to influence the immune system in the context of inflammatory arthropathies. Although studies are still sparse, this review will examine the role of the microbiome in the pathogenesis of spondyloarthritis (SpA), particularly in enteropathic arthritis (EA), reactive arthritis (ReA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

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Acknowledgement

JUS is funded by: NIH/NIAMS K23AR064318, The Riley Family Foundation, and The Judith and Stewart Colton Center for the Study of Autoimmunity.

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Julia Manasson, MD, and Jose U. Scher, MD, declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, New York University School Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Julia Manasson & Jose U. Scher

  2. Division of Rheumatology and Microbiome CEnter for Rheumatology and Autoimmunity (MiCRA), NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, 301 East 17th Street, Room 1611, New York, NY, 10003, USA

    Jose U. Scher

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  1. Julia Manasson
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  2. Jose U. Scher
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Correspondence to Jose U. Scher.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Spondyloarthritis

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Manasson, J., Scher, J.U. Spondyloarthritis and the Microbiome: New Insights From an Ancient Hypothesis. Curr Rheumatol Rep 17, 10 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-014-0487-7

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