Endometriosis affects about 15% of women of reproductive age. However, the pathogenesis of endometriosis is not fully understood. Now, researchers investigated whether bacteria play a role in the development of ovarian endometriosis. It was found that 64% of endometriosis patients who participated in the study had Fusobacterium infection in the endometrium compared to <10% of the control group.
Fusobacterium infection was also found to activate transforming growth factor-b signaling which transformed quiescent fibroblasts to transgelin-positive myofibroblasts. Transgelin is known to be upregulated in endometriosis patients. In an endometriosis mouse model, Fusobacterium inoculation increased the number of transgelin-positive myofibroblasts and elevated the weight and number of endometriotic lesions. However, chloramphenicol and metronidazole treatment inhibited the establishment of…
