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| The staphylcoccus aureus bacteria may be linked to lupus Image: FreeDigitalPhotos |
Research recently conducted by the Mayo Clinic points to the
possibility that the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (known commonly as staph)
may be connected to the development of lupus disease.
In a study using mice, researchers exposed the rodents to
low doses of a staph protein over a period of time. The mice developed
auto-antibodies and a kidney disease along with lupus-like symptoms, which lead
doctors to believe this may also occur with humans.
A little background
Staph bacteria are located all around us. They live on
our skin, but are in higher concentrations around moist openings, such as the
nose and mouth. People are only put at
risk when there is a break in the skin where the bacteria can get in and cause
an infection.
Many of you may have heard of staph infection break-outs in
hospitals. Those who are most affected are usually burn victims, people
who have a weakened immune system or patients who have undergone surgery. In
those serious situations, the bacteria enter the bloodstream resulting in more
dangerous infections.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that is suspected to be
genetic in some way, although why people develop lupus is still very unclear.
There are a few different forms of the disease, the most dangerous one being
systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE. In each of the cases, the body turns on
itself by attacking its own tissue and joints. For people with discoid lupus,
the skin becomes inflamed, but with SLE, the body can attack the organs.
What the research
means
The fact that the mice have reacted to a protein in the
staph bacteria may not only help doctors determine what causes lupus, but might
also help them keep people from developing the disease. By determining whether
or not the disease is caused by prolonged exposure to staph, doctors may help
patients avoid flare-ups. In addition, if it is proven that the staph bacteria
causes lupus, doctors could keep lupus from developing at all by minimizing exposure to the staph bacteria.
What do you think about this study? Share your thoughts with us!
Source: EurekAlert!
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