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Tuesday, January 28, 2014

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS MAY BE TRIGGERED BY FOOD BACTERIA

 

Multiple sclerosis may be triggered by FOOD: Toxin produced by common bacteria could cause disease

  • Microbiologists from the Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, built on previous research that suggested epsilon toxin could trigger M.S.
  • Epsilon toxin is produced by strains of Clostridium perfringens - a spore-forming bacterium that can cause of foodborne illness
  • Development of a neutralising antibody or vaccine directed against the epsilon toxin might stop the progression of the disease
MS is characterised by blood brain permeability and demyelination - a process in which the insulating myelin sheaths of neurons are damaged.
 
Microbiologist Jennifer Linden of Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, said: ‘We provide evidence that supports epsilon toxin’s ability to cause permeability and show that epsilon toxin kills the brain’s myelin producing cells, oligodendrocytes - the same cells that die in MS lesions.’

Multiple Sclerosis or MS is known as an autoimmune condition.  This is where something goes wrong with the immune system - the body’s defence against infection - and it mistakenly attacks healthy body tissue – in this case, the myelin covering of nerves.  This can cause multiple sections of the brain and spinal column to become damaged and hardened, which can disrupt the nerve signals passing through these areas.  Exactly what causes the immune system to act in this way is unclear, but most experts think a combination of genetic and environmental factors are involved.  This new study finds that epsilon toxin could be one of the triggers.
Read more - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2547543/Multiple-sclerosis-triggered-FOOD.html
 
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