Antigen array profiles measuring the activity of serum antibodies showed increased reactivity to tetracosonoic acid in Methanobrevibacter-positive patients with MS. Patients with high reactivity to Methanobrevibacter lysates also had increased expression of a specific gene module within T cells. Reactivity to Methanobrevibacter lipids in patients with MS was strongly associated with interferon γ and tumor necrosis factor α pathways in T cells. “This is an important finding because it is believed that interferon γ and tumor necrosis factor α play an important role in MS,” said Dr. Weiner.
Keeping in mind that Methanobrevibacter is a methane-producing organism, he and his colleagues performed breath tests on a separate group of 30 patients with MS and 30 healthy controls. Breath methane concentrations were elevated in patients with MS, compared with controls. “This [finding] also raises the possibility that breath tests are an easier way to look into the gut than taking stool samples,” Dr. Weiner said.
Future Considerations
According to Dr. Weiner, future explorations should include longitudinal studies of stool samples from patients with MS, examininations of how changes in gut bacteria relate to MRI findings and disability, and trials of probiotics.
—Adriene Marshall