RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Normal intestinal microbiota in the aetiopathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis
JF Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
JO Ann Rheum Dis
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and European League Against Rheumatism
SP 807
OP 811
DO 10.1136/ard.62.9.807
VO 62
IS 9
A1 P Toivanen
YR 2003
UL http://ard.bmj.com/content/62/9/807.abstract
AB A series of observations have led to the hypothesis that normal intestinal microbiota in patients with rheumatoid arthritis may harbour, for genetic reasons, bacteria with cell walls capable of inducing arthritis. Differences occur between bacterial species, and even between strains of a single species, because some cell walls induce experimental chronic arthritis, whereas some others induce only a transient acute arthritis or no arthritis at all. In susceptible subjects, with continuous seeding of bacterial products from the gut, the synovial inflammation is followed by erosion, exposition of cartilage antigens, and self perpetuating chronic arthritis.