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Gastritis Inflammatory gastritis caused by acne germs
High alcohol consumption, smoking, stress and infections with certain viruses or bacteria: All these factors are known triggers for gastritis. Austrian researchers have now deciphered another cause of chronic gastritis: the acne bacterium.
Various causes of gastric mucosal inflammation
Chronic gastritis is a prolonged inflammation of the gastric mucosa, which may have multiple causes of illness. These include infections with bacteria, viruses or mold, smoking, high alcohol or coffee consumption, stress and various medications, such as painkillers such as diclofenac. Scientists at the Medical University of Graz have now found the cause of an as yet unexplained form of the disease.
Austrian scientists have deciphered another cause of chronic gastritis: the acne bacterium. (Image: absolutimages / fotolia.com) More than half of over-50s are affected
Experts believe that more than half of people over the age of 50 in Western industrialized countries already suffer from chronic gastritis, whereby the symptoms of inflammation often develop only slowly, or very unspecific symptoms occur.
These include feelings of fullness, nausea, pressure, pain in the upper abdomen, flatulence or diarrhea.
Due to its acid production, the stomach has long been considered a quasi-sterile organ. "Only the discovery of Helicobacter pylori as a causative agent of chronic gastritis gradually changed this view," said Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gregor Gorkiewicz, Professor of Medical Microbiome Research at the Institute of Pathology, Med Uni Graz, in a statement.
The methods of modern microbiome research provide detailed insights into the microbial ecosystem of the stomach and its contribution to the development of chronic gastritis.
So far unexplained form of gastritis
Ana Montalban-Arques succeeded in her dissertation in the research group of Gregor Gorkiewicz to decipher a hitherto unexplained form of chronic gastritis - the lymphocytic gastritis.
The researcher explained: "Lymphocytic gastritis is a chronic gastritis. So far, the cause of this disease was unclear. "
The research group has succeeded in identifying Propionibacterium acnes - a classic skin bacterium and causative agent of acne vulgaris - as the cause of the disease, as well as the underlying immunological mechanism of lymphocytic gastritis.
The results of the scientists were published in the "Journal of Pathology".
Attack of the body's defense cells
The Propionibacterium acnes, which is also found in the digestive tract, even produces short-chain fatty acids, such as propionic acid. At the same time, however, the bacterium also causes a specific activation of the NKG2D system, an innate immune mechanism that is also involved, for example, in gluten intolerance.
"Subsequently, this activation of the NKG2D system leads to the recruitment of cytotoxic T cells, which then attack the tissue of the stomach," summarized Gregor Gorkiewicz.
This attack of the body's own defense cells on the tissue of the stomach causes the chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa.
Main trigger of stomach cancer
In addition, the researchers were able to show that Helicobacter pylori can specifically modulate the NKG2D system and thus bypass an immune stimulation, ie no activation of T cells takes place.
"The NKG2D system is an important endogenous immunological system that counteracts the development of tumors," says Gorkiewicz.
Helicobacter pylori is considered the main cause of gastric carcinoma. Therefore, the scientists suspect that caused by the bacterium bypassing the NKG2D system is favored the development of gastric cancer. The research group is already working on the clarification of this mechanism and the contribution of the gastric microbiome to gastric carcinogenesis. (Ad)