Study Uncovers Gut Bacteria Differences in Children Who Later Develop Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

For the first time, scientists have shown that gut bacteria differences are associated with later development of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, a debilitating rheumatic childhood disease, and that these differences are present years before the disease is diagnosed.

The research team, which includes scientists from the University of Florida and researchers in Sweden, made this discovery by analyzing stool samples from one-year-old children in a long-term study called All Babies in Southeast Sweden. The scientists compared bacteria found in children who went on to develop juvenile idiopathic arthritis with those who did not.

“Our work suggests that an imbalance in microbes, especially the increased prevalence of several proinflammatory bacterial species, could serve as a potential indicator of future disease risk,” said UF Innovate Inventor, Angelica Ahrens, co-first author of the study and a postdoctoral associate in the UF/IFAS department of microbiology and cell science.

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