Researchers show that altering gut microbes protects against
disease, supporting the ‘hygiene hypothesis’
Early life exposure to normal bacteria of the GI tract (gut
microbes) protects against autoimmune disease in mice, according to research
published on-line in the January 17 edition of Science. The study may also have
uncovered reasons why females are at greater risk of autoimmune diseases such
as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus compared to males.
Researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)
found that when female mice at high risk of autoimmune (type 1) diabetes were
exposed to normal gut bacteria from adult male mice, they were strongly
protected against the disease. In this type of mouse strain, more than 85% of
females develop autoimmune diabetes due to strong genetic risk factors. In
contrast, only 25% of the females developed the disease after they were given
normal male gut microbes early in life.