Oral Bacteria Linked to Severe Forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The human body is composed of different systems working together. Like a nation, it has different organs that function differently to maintain harmony and melodious relationship, keeping the body healthy and active. However, like any other country, happy days are sometimes overwhelmed by the disorder. There are seasons members of the infinitesimal community thrives and try to make a commotion that can put the body in stress, making us humans uncomfortable. 

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Microbes such as bacteria are present, and for people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, a strain of oral bacteria is doing the same thing. According to Science Alert, scientists have uncovered strains of one common bacterium named Campylobacter concisus, which might explain why this common bacteria in the mouth causes real trouble in the gut. In an interview with Medical Xpress,  Dr. Li Zhang, senior author of the study and biomolecular scientist at the University of New South Wales, oral bacteria enter the digestive system when we swallow saliva or eat food every day. She added that gastric juices in the stomach kill most of them. However, some of them can survive and colonize the intestines for not long, but the mouth brings more oral bacteria daily, and according to her, that is the problem. 

According to the data released by the Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention (CDC), there are an estimated 1.3% of US adults diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), whether it is Chron's disease or Ulcerative Colitis. 

Dr. Zhang added that it is not clear why some of the patients do not respond well to the therapy, but she added that the pSma1 bacterial stream could hold some clues. According to the University of New South Wales, scientists discovered pSma1 in bacterial cell samples from severe ulcerative colitis people. 

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What is pSma1?

According to the University of New South Wales (UNSW), pSma1 is a plasmid that is a small, circular DNA molecule that thrives inside the bacterial cells. It carries genes that heighten the number of virulence or harmfulness of the bacteria. 

Dr. Zhang, who studies the links between C. concisus bacterium and gut health, is surprised by the discovery because, according to her, pSma1 has only two genes and has a high copy of 60. This only means that one bacteria has 60 copies of this plasmid. 

Dr. Fang Liu, the lead author of the study and post-doctoral research associate at the University of New South Wales, said that the proteins encoded by the plasmid could be a virulence factor.

What is IBD?

According to CDC, Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD is a term for two conditions, namely Chron's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis, characterized by lingering inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. According to WebMD, this disease is thought to be an autoimmune disease. However, research suggests that chronic inflammation may not be because of the immune system attacking the body itself. 

National Health Service or NHS mentioned IBD symptoms, which include pain, cramps, or swelling in the abdominal area, frequent or bloody diarrhea, weight loss, and extreme tiredness. 

Dr. Zhang said in a statement that if the said plasmid from the oral bacteria is involved in the pathogenesis, she stressed that the study might have found an area for future medication development that can help prevent ulcerative colitis, a type of IBD.

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