New research suggests that a bacterium found in cow's milk and beef may lead to rheumatoid arthritis in people who are already genetically predisposed. The bacterium may be a common trigger for both rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease. Rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease share a similar genetic background and are often treated with similar immunosuppressants, because both illnesses are autoimmune disorders. These similarities intrigued the rheumatologist at the University of Central Florida who further revealed the link between the bacteria Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) and Crohn's disease.
Eventually, the question of whether MAP was also somehow connected with rheumatoid arthritis followed naturally. Gene mutation plus MAP: Researcher analysed clinical samples from 100 people with rheumatoid arthritis. Among these, 78% had a genetic mutation in the…
