Anaeroplasma – an intestinal bacterium that inhibits inflammation

Intestinal flora and the immune system have a decisive influence on each other. Disturbances in this balance can trigger inflammation or lead to its chronicity, including rheumatic inflammation such as reactive arthritis. This publication describes a bacterium that counteracts inflammation by inducing the anti-inflammatory messenger TGF-β in immune cells. By doing so, it also indirectly enhances the production of protective IgA antibodies. These antibodies in turn prevent intestinal bacteria from uncontrollably penetrating the intestinal wall and causing inflammation.