Investigators have uncovered potential contributing factors to the onset of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, according to a study published by Kindgren et al in eBioMedicine. Investigators used the All Babies in Southeast Sweden population-based cohort to examine data from 17,055 pediatric patients, 111 of whom developed juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The investigators then analyzed several factors—including the patients’ 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences, environmental risk factors, and infant gut microbiota—and found that those who had juvenile idiopathic arthritis had higher levels of the bacteria Acidaminococcales, Prevotella 9, and Veillonella parvula, and lower levels of Coprococcus, Subdoligranulum, Phascolarctobacterium, Dialister spp, Bifidobacterium breve, Fusicatenibacter saccharivorans, Roseburia intestinalis, and Akkermansia muciniphila. Further, patients who had a greater prevalence of parabacteroides distasonis (OR = 6.7, 95% CI = 1.81–24.84), had a higher exposure to antibiotics, and were breastfed for a shorter duration had increased risks of developing juvenile idiopathic arthritis—especially if they were genetically predisposed to the disease. The investigators suggested that microbial dysregulation and exposure to environmental factors at a young age could lead to the development of juvenile idiopathic arthritis in pediatric patients.
July 14, 2023