Bacteria-immune system 'fight' can lead to chronic diseases, study suggests

Biology News Net ^ | August 2, 2012 | NA

[neverdem]

Results from a study conducted at Georgia State University suggest that a "fight" between bacteria normally living in the intestines and the immune system, kicked off by another type of bacteria, may be linked to two types of chronic disease.

The study suggests that the "fight" continues after the instigator bacteria have been cleared by the body, according to Andrew Gewirtz, professor of biology at the GSU Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infection. That fight can result in metabolic syndrome, an important factor in obesity, or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

The results were published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.

"The implication at present is that it is very important to control the early environment," Gewirtz said. "We need to examine how this can be achieved – perhaps via breastfeeding, a more diverse diet, probiotics are possibilities."

The study's results are important as instances of chronic diseases like metabolic syndrome and IBD are increasing rapidly among humans, he explained.

Metabolic syndrome involves risk factors, including obesity, which can lead to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke. According to the American Heart Association, about 35 percent of adults are affected by this syndrome.

IBD, which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, happens when the intestines become inflamed, leading to abdominal cramps and pain, diarrhea, weight loss and bleeding.

More than 600,000 Americans annually have some kind of inflammatory bowel disease, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Bacteria normally live in the gut of humans, with the average human having about 4 pounds of bacteria living there.

"It is increasingly apparent that bacteria are playing a role in healthy development, and need to be properly managed by the mucosal immune system to avoid inflammatory diseases" Gewirtz explained. Source : Georgia State University

[exDemMom]

It's an interesting dilemma, but it's probably unethical to test the hypothesis directly, i.e. infect naive humans with H. Pylori to see if they subsequently develop metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes.

I'd stick with cell culture studies or animals as a last resort. There are plenty of methods of testing these questions that don't involve clinical studies with human subjects. (I dislike clinical human studies anyway; I find them extremely limited in the types of questions that they can answer, and often they are flawed in other ways.)

I was able to find the abstract directly at the journal website. The full abstract, at least, seems to recognize that there is a more complicated two-way interaction between host and flora than the article posted here would indicate. Still, this article makes claims that are not, as far as I can tell, supported by the evidence--for example, the claim that it may be important to control the early environment to prevent conditions such as metabolic syndrome leading to obesity. I think that, to a large extent, the metabolic conditions cause the change in microflora. Since an obese person's biochemistry is not the same as a thin person's biochemistry, I would expect to see a difference in species prevalence of gut microflora as a result.

[Ellendra]

there is nothing contradictory about the results gleaned from using colloidal silver.

Unless you count the people who died from it.

Some years ago researchers, when dimes were real silver, would put a dime in a petri dish to steralize it in the lab.

The toxic effects that silver has on single-celled organisms is well documented. However, the question is whether it is similarly toxic to multi-cellular organisms. Unfortunately, there are too many studies that say yes, it is. It just takes a higher dosage (as with all poisons), but because it builds up in body tissues, continuing to take it will, eventually, result in silver poisoning. The body treats it as a heavy metal. Which, chemically speaking, it is. Most non-metal based antibiotics don't build up in the tissues.

I hope, Ellendra, you do not find this info too contradictory...

What, just because you only quoted sources that backed you up, and dismissed all others as having an "agenda", in spite of the fact that ALL studies have an agenda, including the ones that agree with you?

[Ellendra]

The use of silver in wound dressings does show promise, but given the way silver builds up in body tissues until it reaches toxic levels, I’ll pass on the injested kind, thank you. I’ve been through chelation for metal poisoning once already, and that was more than enough.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

“Unless you count the people who died from it.”

Sources, please.

“However, the question is whether it is similarly toxic to multi-cellular organisms. Unfortunately, there are too many studies that say yes, it is.”

Sources, please.

“Most non-metal based antibiotics don’t build up in the tissues.”

And they do not work. MRSA, C-DIFF, etc etc etc...these are because of the over use of antibiotics by doctors...and these hospital acquired diseases kill people. There are solutions to these too, but not in the conventional medicine scheme of things.

[neverdem]

I think that, to a large extent, the metabolic conditions cause the change in microflora. Since an obese person's biochemistry is not the same as a thin person's biochemistry, I would expect to see a difference in species prevalence of gut microflora as a result.

Pregnancy alters resident gut microbes

Good hunch, but neither pregnant women nor diabetics are considered as having robust immune systems. In the former, it's considered down regulated. In the latter, it's compromised in ways similar to cancer patients, patients on chronic steroid therapy or chronic alcoholics, at least from a clinical perspective.

[Cruising For Freedom]

My hunch is that a lot of the vague “fatigue, depression, anxiety attacks, and chronic pain” symptoms women experience and often get diagnosed as fibromyalgia are due to improper sleep.

I was amazed to read that sleep has an amplifying effect on all of these symptoms, and these symptoms of course cause sleepiness in turn. Plus, there does seem to be a general consensus in society that women are inadequate if they can’t function on little sleep, because of the demands of motherhood.

[Cruising For Freedom]

ack... fat fingers... I meant SLEEPLESSNESS not sleepiness. Lack of sleep may be what causes those symptoms.

[Maudeen]

This is NOT that kind of silver. It leaves the body in 24 hours. This is not injected into anything (however, they are doing some IV processes) You need to read about it. Homeland security, special ops, etc. are using it. My sister’s friend has someone in the nursing home and the nurse said she was happy to see they were giving their loved one silver sol. Type in Dr. Pedersen and watch the videos. It healed a MRSA sore for my mother that amazed the doctor with no scar. I won’t bother you again with a post but I think you need to take a look at this stuff . . . it’s amazing and NOT like the regular silver that can collect in the body and even turn a person blue

[Ellendra]

Mirsattari SM, Hammond RR, Sharpe MD, Leung FY, Young GB (April 2004). “Myoclonic status epilepticus following repeated oral ingestion of colloidal silver”.

http://rais.ornl.gov/tox/profiles/silver_f_V1.html

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA363388/collodial-silver.html

http://cira.ornl.gov/documents/SILVER.pdf

http://www.cqs.com/silver.htm

Ellenhorn, M.J., S. Schonwald, G. Ordog, J. Wasserberger. Ellenhorn’s Medical Toxicology: Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Poisoning. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams and Wilkins, 1997., p. 1608

http://nccam.nih.gov/health/silver

Let me know if you’d like to see more.

As a side note, it seems the increase in the use of silver in wound dressings and as an antibiotic is leading to new resistant strains of bacteria already:
http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice-clinical-research/bacterial-resistance-to-silver-based-antibiotics/201749.article

http://www.o-wm.com/article/8483

[exDemMom]

Good hunch, but neither pregnant women nor diabetics are considered as having robust immune systems. In the former, it's considered down regulated. In the latter, it's compromised in ways similar to cancer patients, patients on chronic steroid therapy or chronic alcoholics, at least from a clinical perspective.

Of course.

My objection is more to the idea that these metabolic conditions can be treated by altering the gut flora, when it looks a lot like the microbial species distribution is a consequence of the conditions. The concept that, e.g., obesity could be cured by altering the gut microflora is very appealing, since there really is no easy way to treat or even prevent it, and it is human nature to want easy solutions. This isn't to say that certain microorganisms don't have an effect; clearly, a bacterial colonization of synovial fluid will cause problems.

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

Thank you. I will check these out. I do know of some experience we and others have had with very high oral doses using colloidal silver and no adverse effects. I also know that if the silver is ionic rather tan colloidal, the results can be very negative.

Some doctors in Texas were using colloidal silver intravenously to treat Aids, and were having great success. The FDA shut down the supplier of the colloidal silver to stop this successful treatment.