RA from UTI?

[Guest guest]

Hi, Babs:

Sorry for the confusion; I () wrote that to , later shared with the

group.

Here is Professor Alan Ebringer's URL:

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/kis/schools/life_sciences/life_sci/ebringerR.html

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects approximately 1 million people in the U.K. and

women are 3 to 4 times more likely to be affected than men. Over 90% of RA

patients with severe disease carry either HLA-DR1 or some subtypes of HLA-DR4,

incorporating the susceptibility sequence EQRRAA. Since our studies in AS had

been successful and led to the proposal that Klebsiella microbes carried

antigens crossreacting with HLA-B27, a similar approach was adopted for RA in

1980. Studies with rabbit antisera and tissue typing sera demonstrated that

HLA-DR4 carried antigens which crossreacted with bacterial antigens found in

Proteus mirabilis microbes. Since Proteus infection of the upper urinary tract

is commoner in women than men, this could explain the higher prevalence of RA in

women. Elevated levels of antibodies to Proteus mirabilis have been reported

from the U.K. (London, Epsom, age, Winchester, Newcastle, Dundee), Ireland

(Dublin), France (Brest and Toulouse), Spain (Barcelona),Japan (Otsu and Tokyo),

The Netherlands (Amsterdam),Finland (Helsinki) and Bermuda (Hamilton). Computer

analysis identified the sequence ESRRAL found in Proteus haemolysin which showed

molecular mimicry with the EQRRAA susceptibility sequence.

Biochemical studies demonstrated that RA patients had antibodies to both

EQRRAA/ESRRAL sequences.

Further molecular studies identified a second similarity sequence IRRET, present

in Proteus urease which showed molecular mimicry with the LRREI sequence found

in type XI collagen, a common component of hyaline cartilage. Since erosions of

hyaline cartilage are frequently found in RA patients, especially in the small

joints of the hands and feet, this could explain the localization of the

pathological lesions in this disease to these sites.

These results are consistent with the hypothesis that RA is an autoimmune

reactive arthritis following infection of the upper urinary tract by Proteus

mirabilis microbes.

The value of anti-Proteus therapy in RA should be evaluated by prospective

multi-centre, double-blind, controlled trials.

[emphasis added for clarity]

rheumatic RA from UTI?

In a message dated 12/14/2004 6:27:18 AM Eastern Standard Time,

rheumatic writes:

wrote

RA is usually triggered by a UTI (urinary tract

infection) due to Proteus mirabilis.

Really?? Where is this info from please? Thanks.

Babs

[Guest guest]

Babs,

Here are some Google search results:

http://www.mcgill.ca/hostres/investigators/newkirk/

" ... Surprisingly, there appears to be an apparent association between

these autoantibodies in patients with RA and infection with Proteus

mirabilis bacteria. Proteus mirabilis is a common cause of urinary tract

infection. Further studies are required to determine the basis for this

association. By uncovering new biomarkers of RA, not only will we gain

insight into the pathogenesis of this debilitating disease, but also we

will be better able to target therapies more appropriately ... "

http://members.cox.net/gkinghorn/Story.htm

" ... As stated earlier, it has also been recently shown that Rheumatoid

Arthritis (RA), which has no widely-known bacterial connection, can be

beneficially treated with tetracycline in mild to moderate cases (according

to the NIH study). Above I also discussed that some research that shows

that antibodies for the micro-organism Proteus mirabilis occur in RA

patients at a far higher rate than in the background population and seems

to cross react with HLA DR4 individuals. Is this a coincidental link, or

have we found the bacterial cause of another form of arthritis? According

to a doctor familiar with the research on P. mirabilis, the most effective

antibiotic against it is Cipro, not the tetracycline-derivatives which were

tried in the NIH study. "

http://www.thearthritiscenter.com/arthritis_info.htm

Bacterial infections

" Bacterial infections are most important in rheumatological diseases since

they are known to cause septic arthritis (figure 1), reactive arthritis

(figure 2), osteomyelitis (figure 3), and osteitis.... " [the web page then

lists microbial agents which can cause arthritis, including Proteus

mirabilis. This is Dr. Franco's website.]

http://www.ecologos.org/arthritis.htm

Several relevant abstracts are included:

" ... It has recently been shown that serum antibody levels against Proteus

mirabilis decreased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who improved

clinically during treatment with 7-10 days of fasting followed by a

one-year vegetarian diet. "

" ... The decrease in P mirabilis antibody levels in the diet responders and

the correlation between the decrease in proteus antibody level and decrease

in disease activity supports the suggestion of an aetiopathogenetic role

for P mirabilis in RA. "

" ... Fasting is an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, but most

patients relapse on reintroduction of food. The effect of fasting followed

by one year of a vegetarian diet was assessed in a randomised, single-blind

controlled trial. 27 patients were allocated to a four-week stay at a

health farm. After an initial 7-10 day subtotal fast, they were put on an

individually adjusted gluten-free vegan diet for 3.5 months. The food was

then gradually changed to a lactovegetarian diet for the remainder of the

study. A control group of 26 patients stayed for four weeks at a

convalescent home, but ate an ordinary diet throughout the whole study

period. After four weeks at the health farm the diet group showed a

significant improvement in number of tender joints, Ritchie's articular

index, number of swollen joints, pain score, duration of morning stiffness,

grip strength, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, white

blood cell count, and a health assessment questionnaire score. In the

control group, only pain score improved significantly. The benefits in the

diet group were still present after one year, and evaluation of the whole

course showed significant advantages for the diet group in all measured

indices. This dietary regimen seems to be a useful supplement to

conventional medical treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. "

http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/8525697700573E1885256E65002E8349

" ... Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have significantly elevated

IgG and IgM antibodies to Proteus mirabilis and antibodies to both EQRRAA

and ESSRAL peptides, according researchers in both Finland and Japan...

This characteristic provides strong evidence that RA patients have been

infected by Proteus bacteria, probably in the upper respiratory tract, but

not by E. coli or S. marcescens. "

http://www.ra.com/ra/rastore/cgi-bin/ProdSubEV_Cat_200635_SubCat_200635_NavRoot_\

303.htm

" Some scientists have found that patients with RA are more likely than

those without it to have been exposed to a bacterium called Proteus

mirabilis. Other bacterial or viral infections also may trigger RA. "

http://www.andrews.edu/NUFS/arthritis.html

Several researchers examined the role of gut bacteria in RA disease

activity (12-15). RA patients have been found to have higher levels of

Proteus mirabilis antibodies when compared with healthy controls or

subjects with other diseases. The subjects from the vegetarian diet study

had a significantly lower mean antibody level against Proteus mirabilis

which was correlated significantly with the measured decrease in disease

activity (16). This suggests that the improvement in RA disease activity

may be related to the effects of the vegan diet on the presence of gut

bacteria such as Proteus mirabilis and the body's response to such bacteria.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=PubMed & list_uids=1\

4505214 & dopt=Abstract

" ... Infection with P. mirabilis is found to have no pathological or

aggravating role in RA. "

Regards, Harald

At 09:45 PM 12/14/2004 -0500, you wrote:

>In a message dated 12/14/2004 6:27:18 AM Eastern Standard Time,

>rheumatic writes:

>

> wrote

>RA is usually triggered by a UTI (urinary tract infection) due to Proteus

>mirabilis. Really?? Where is this info from please? Thanks.

>

>Babs

[Guest guest]

Hi Harald,

Thank you for developing onto this interesting link and

possibility ...

I am in overload with information and my sitting pain load, thus

currently try to get in practical action the Marshall Protocol test

done, but WITH Time I will work along this path as well (even better

if it so happens to be somehow already covered by Marshall

Protocol ... could it be via an weakened immune system ...?) ...

Regards,

PS: I will ask again if anyone has experience with how to pack

blood /serum with Dry Ice (Solid CO2...), I posted my current

understanding at

http://www.philfrisk.net/~adrian/lab_tests_shipping_issues.htm .

Right now I noticed the server was not accessible at least from my

end ... a minute later was ... I think is OK and grateful, being new

with me and the issue so important please let me know how it works

for you ... Thanks ...!

>

>

> >In a message dated 12/14/2004 6:27:18 AM Eastern Standard Time,

> >rheumatic writes:

> >

> > wrote

> >RA is usually triggered by a UTI (urinary tract infection) due to

Proteus

> >mirabilis. Really?? Where is this info from please? Thanks.

> >

> >Babs

[Guest guest]

Harold:

Just a note to thank you and others for the info on this topic. Very

interesting!

Babs