Related Experiment Videos

Bacterial agents in spondyloarthritis: a destiny from diversity?

John D Carter1

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, Division of Rheumatology, Tampa, FL 33612, USA. jocarter@health.usf.edu

Best Practice & Research. Clinical Rheumatology
|November 2, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Bacteria may cause spondyloarthropathies (SpAs), a group of related inflammatory diseases. Research explores the complex role of bacteria in reactive arthritis and speculates on their role in other SpAs.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Microbiology
  • Rheumatology

Background:

  • Spondyloarthropathies (SpAs) are a group of related diseases with shared features.
  • A familial aggregation suggests a potential common cause for SpAs.
  • The role of bacteria is most clearly established in reactive arthritis, a type of SpA.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review bacteria proven to cause reactive arthritis.
  • To examine the role of these bacteria in reactive arthritis pathophysiology.
  • To critically analyze speculative data linking other bacteria to different SpAs.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of causative bacteria in reactive arthritis.
  • Analysis of pathophysiological mechanisms involving bacteria.
  • Critical evaluation of evidence for bacterial links to other SpAs.

Main Results:

  • Recent insights reveal a complex role for causative bacteria in reactive arthritis.
  • Speculative data suggest potential bacterial involvement in other SpAs.
  • The concept of SpAs as a common endpoint from diverse bacterial triggers is proposed.

Conclusions:

  • Bacteria play a significant, complex role in the pathophysiology of reactive arthritis.
  • Bacteria are a potential etiological factor for the broader group of spondyloarthropathies.
  • Further research is warranted to confirm bacterial links across all SpA types.

Related Concept Videos

Defense Against Bacterial Pathogens01:31

Defense Against Bacterial Pathogens

The human immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to defend the body against bacterial infections. It consists of various immune cells, each playing a specific role in the defense mechanism.
Phagocytes
Phagocytes are the frontline soldiers of the immune system. They include neutrophils and macrophages. Neutrophils are the most abundant type of white blood cell and are quickly mobilized to the site of infection. Macrophages are larger cells that patrol...
Determinants of Bacterial Pathogenicity and Virulence01:20

Determinants of Bacterial Pathogenicity and Virulence

Pathogenic bacteria employ a variety of strategies to establish infections, including the secretion of extracellular enzymes that act as potent virulence factors. These enzymes facilitate bacterial colonization of host tissues and help evade immune surveillance. By targeting structural components of host tissues and interfering with immune mechanisms, these enzymes play a pivotal role in disease progression.Extracellular Enzymes Facilitating Tissue Invasion: Several bacterial pathogens secrete...
Bacterial Phylum Spirochaetes01:30

Bacterial Phylum Spirochaetes

Spirochetes, unique bacteria in the phylum Spirochaetes, are gram-negative, motile, tightly coiled, slender, and flexible. They inhabit aquatic sediments and animals, with some causing diseases like syphilis. Spirochetes are classified into eight genera based on habitat, pathogenicity, phylogeny, and characteristics.Their distinctive motility arises from endoflagella, located within the cell’s periplasm. These endoflagella anchor at the cell poles and extend along the cell length, encased by a...
Clinical Significance of Antibiotic Resistance01:25

Clinical Significance of Antibiotic Resistance

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) presents a critical public health threat, arising from its capacity to resist β-lactam antibiotics due to acquisition of the mecA gene within the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec). This gene encodes penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a), which impairs binding efficacy of methicillin and other β-lactams. MRSA has evolved into distinct clonal lineages impacting humans and animals alike, reinforcing its significance within the One...
Bacterial Phylum Actinobacteria01:30

Bacterial Phylum Actinobacteria

Coryneform bacteria are gram-positive, aerobic, nonmotile rods that exhibit irregular, club-shaped, or V-shaped arrangements. Their V-shape results from snapping division, where the inner cell wall layer forms the cross-wall, while the outer layer remains intact until it ruptures on one side, causing the daughter cells to bend away.The primary genera are Corynebacterium and Arthrobacter. Corynebacterium includes diverse species, ranging from saprophytes to pathogens like Corynebacterium...
Genome-wide Association Studies-GWAS01:11

Genome-wide Association Studies-GWAS

Genome-wide association studies or GWAS are used to identify whether common SNPs are associated with certain diseases. Suppose specific SNPs are more frequently observed in individuals with a particular disease than those without the disease. In that case, those SNPs are said to be associated with the disease. Chi-square analysis is performed to check the probability of the allele likely to be associated with the disease.
GWAS does not require the identification of the target gene involved in...