Extensive Periodontitis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

There is an association between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and dysbiotic oral microbiomes. In these studies, there is also a presence of extensive periodontitis, an infection of the tissues in your mouth. In a study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, researchers investigated the role of RA in modulating the periodontal microbiome by comparing periodontally healthy individuals with RA to those without RA. 

Our new paper is out! #rheumatoidarthritis #microbiome #periodontitis https://t.co/Dsm0jpdbvk?

— Akshay Paropkari (@akshayparopkari) March 9, 2018

In this study, participants were periodontally healthy individuals (22 with RA and 19 without RA). Researchers collected subgingival plaque from each of the participants, and the 16S gene was sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq platform. QIIME and PhyloToAST pipelines were used to examine bacterial biodiversity and co‐occurrence patterns. 

Microbiota gingival y citrulina en AR…
Dysbiotic Subgingival Microbial Communities in Periodontally Healthy Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis – Lopez‐Oliva – 2018 – Arthritis & Rheumatology – Wiley Online Library https://t.co/meDYOCPzxP

— Enrique Calvo Aranda (@enriquecalvoA) July 8, 2018

Interesting article on microbiota and arthritis: https://t.co/Zk9ESrEsGk

— Sampurna Chakrabarti (@fluorescence_SC) July 1, 2018

Results showed that between patients with RA and the controls, subgingival microbiomes differed significantly. In addition, although Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans were not significantly different in each of the groups, Cryptobacterium curtum emerged as a robust discriminant of the microbiome in individuals with RA. 

“Our data demonstrate that the oral microbiome in RA is enriched for inflammophilic and citrulline‐producing organisms, which may play a role in the production of autoantigenic citrullinated peptides in RA,” the researchers concluded. 

SOURCE: Arthritis & Rheumatology