A group of detective scientists from the University of Colorado made an exciting discovery.
They found that a particular kind of bacteria, living in our tummies, might cause a painful disease called rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Starting the Investigation
Rheumatoid arthritis happens when your body mistakenly attacks your joints, causing pain and swelling. People who are at risk of getting this disease have certain markers in their blood.
The scientists took antibodies, which are like tiny soldiers in our blood, from these people. They mixed these antibodies with the feces (poo) of the same people. Why? To find which bacteria in the feces were being attacked by the antibodies.
Testing on Animal Friends
Next, the scientists wanted to check if the bacteria they found could cause RA. So they put the bacteria into animals and observed what happened. And guess what? Some of the animals started to show signs of RA!
What They Found
The scientists discovered that the T cells, another type of soldier in our blood, in people with RA would react to these bacteria. But in healthy people, there was no such reaction.
A Clue to the Cure?
Now, if this bacteria is indeed causing RA, we might be able to stop the disease. How? By creating medicines that can fight this bacteria. It’s like fighting the villain in a superhero story!
The Long Journey
This exciting discovery took five years to make! Many people who found out they were at risk of getting RA helped in this study.
What’s Next?
The scientists aren’t done yet. They want to learn more about how this bacteria triggers the disease. They also want to find ways to stop this from happening.
Remember, kids, it’s important to keep our bodies healthy. Some recent studies have shown that certain vitamins and foods, like vitamin K and Jarlsberg cheese, can keep our bones strong as we get older.
The lead scientist on this journey was a person named Kristine Kuhn. They shared their discovery in a book called Science Translational Medicine. This shows how cool science can be in solving mysteries of our health!
If you care about pain, please read studies about vitamins that could help reduce bone fracture risk, and drinking electrolytes may help reduce muscle pain.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that the painkiller ibuprofen may strongly influence your liver, and results showing Marijuana for pain relief may lead to withdrawal symptoms.
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