Mayo Clinic research shows that chronic exposure to even small amounts of Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria, which is frequently found on the skin or in the nose, could present a risk factor for developing the chronic inflammatory disease lupus. The study is published online in the August edition of The Journal of Immunology. In an animal study, the researchers exposed mice to low doses of a protein found in staph and discovered that the mice developed a disease similar to lupus, with kidney disease and auto-antibodies comparable to those found lupus patients blood. Co-author Vaidehi Chowdhary, M.D., a Mayo Clinic rheumatologist noted that the next step is to examine lupus patients to investigate whether the effect of this particular staph protein is similar in humans, saying: We think this protein could be an important clue to what may cause or exacerbate lupus in certain genetically predisposed patients. Our hope is to confirm these findings in lupus patients and hopefully prevent flares. medicalnewstoday/articles/248902.php
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 22:34:16 +0000
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